Super Robot Wars: LW
by Lone Wolf NEO
Summary: Again, this is a two-in-one update done during the author's outback tour. There's nothing more to be said about this, except....
1. Prologue

**SUPER ROBOT WARS LW  
PROLOGUE**

_// 16:30 hours, Tunguska Plains, Siberia //_

"This is Rampage 1. All units, situation report."

_"This is Cyclone 2. Sector B is clear."_

_"Rampage 3 to Leader. Sector D is clear."_

_"Cyclone 1 reporting in. Sector K is clear."_

_"Rampage 7 to Rampage 1. All forms of threat in Sector R have been neutralized."_

"Rampage 1 to all units. Proceed to Sector Z and wait for further instructions."

_"Roger."_

The Strike Dagger moved on. Its pilots slowly navigated through the forest, sensors scanning the surrounding area and weapons pointed to the direction of threats its sensors were detecting.

The Strike Dagger met up with the rest of the patrolling units. The pilot made several hand gestures, as to point to a direction, and the rest of the Mobile Suit and Huckebein operators replied with signals of their own.

_"Captain! Unknown energy reading at three o'clock!"_

The leading Strike Dagger halted. Immediately it turned to the direction of the threat and hinted his team-mates to load their guns. It lifted its hands to tell them to stay, while it approached the location with utmost caution.

The threat revealed itself.

And everybody laughed to see a couple of young reindeers walking out of the bushes, running away from the Mobile Suits and the Personal Troopers towards safety. "False alarm," Rampage 1 announced. "Rampage 2, next time do the reading more properly."

The said Gespenst pilot laughed silly and apologized. _"I guess I'm still not used to jungle warfare, am I?"_ he said.

The bushes ruffled again. This time, it was alarmingly loud both patrol teams aimed their weapons at the location._ "Oh… okay, I guess this is the real deal, isn't it?"_ the pilot murmured.

The threat revealed itself again. Or rather, jumped over the teams and landed behind them. Rampage 1 turned around and was shocked at what he saw.

"Holy crap! Is that a Huckebein?!"

Without warning, the jet black Real Trooper pounced at Rampage 1 and slammed its left knee blade onto the Strike Dagger's face. It delivered a roundhouse kick that destroyed the Strike Dagger's hip and sent the Mobile Suit into the woods.

"Rampage 1!"

The Huckebein turned towards the remaining Strike Daggers. It reared backward, and suddenly launched itself toward the Mobile Suits, destroying them in one go with a flying kick. The Huckebein landed on a patch of grass and glanced at Team Cyclone.

"Team Rampage is down!"

Team Cyclone retaliated. The Gespenst-only unit chased after the jet black Huckebein, firing torrents of 60mm bullets from their Vulcan cannons. The solo Huckebein dodged their attacks and ran across the battlefield, creating after-images that it left behind. Its only counterattack was its head-mounted Vulcan Guns, which were hardly effective against the vastly numerous opponents.

"Who the hell is piloting that Huckebein?!" Cyclone 5 shouted.

"I know that shape! It's Huckebein Mark III!" Cyclone 4 added.

"We don't have time for that!" Cyclone 1 replied and emptied both missile launchers in attempt to slow the speedy Huckebein down. The mecha outran the missiles, again leaving after-images behind it as it ran across the muddy ground.

The Huckebein stopped.

"Now is our chance! Fire at will!"

Team Cyclone opened fire. Torrents of bullets and missiles rocketed their way towards the solitary Huckebein. The only thing the Huckebein did was to lift its palm, and blocked the oncoming projectiles with an invisible barrier field. Team Cyclone continued bombarding the Huckebein until their ammos ran out, and discarded their weapons to resort to melee attacks. The Huckebein merely dodged the attacks, occasionally parrying those it did not see it coming.

The Huckebein parried the last of the Gespenst's rifle melee. It jumped over Team Cyclone and landed behind them. The patrol team turned around and saw what looked like a scarf protruding from the Huckebein's neck. They stepped back; it was not the scarf that got their attention, but it was the murderous glance of the Huckebein's eyes that paralyzed them.

_"Let's go, Alicia."_

The Huckebein jumped off the ground. Being too fast to be caught, Team Cyclone's only action was to fire all its weapons at the mecha, which missed the moving target. The Huckebein flew higher and higher until it ha in midair, 3000 metres above the ground.

_"Code 17."_

Crossing its arms as to power up, the mecha later made what looked like a flying kick posture and dived towards Team Cyclone. The kick became enveloped with lightning energy, charged to the point it flashed in bright white. Team Cyclone continued firing their weapons, not knowing that their efforts were all but effective.

_"Heavenly…"_

The Huckebein became a pillar of light.

_"Rider…"_

The mecha reached the end of its dive.

**_"KICK!!"_**

-x-x-

The black Huckebein re-emerged from the flying debris. It walked out of the crater created by the dive kick, appeared to be undamaged despite the great impact it endured during the crash,

The Huckebein halted. Rampage 1's Strike Dagger was aiming its damaged rifle at it. The Huckebein approached the laid down Mobile Suit. "Damn it…" Rampage 1 cursed and repeatedly pulled the rifle's trigger. The rifle jammed, and Rampage 1 threw the weapon at the Huckebein as to stop it. "To be defeated by a mere robot…"

The Huckebein looked down at the Strike Dagger. Rampage 1 sneered and lifted his hand (the movement was copied by the Strike Dagger, and it seemed the Mobile Suit was reaching for the mysterious Real Trooper). "Come on!" he bellowed. "Just kill me!"

The Huckebein grabbed the Strike Dagger's head. _"Very well."_ It tossed the Strike Dagger towards a nearby river with great force. The Huckebein boosted up and chased after the Strike Dagger, flying across the wide river in great speed.

_"Farewell."_

The Huckebein kneed the Strike Dagger's cockpit. It let go off the unpiloted Mobile Suit and let it splash into the watery body. The Huckebein landed on the riverbank and left into the woods, leaving the crippled patrol teams to the mercy of the Siberian wilderness.

_It disappeared…_


	2. Tale of Gunslingers

**SUPER ROBOT WARS LW  
CHAPTER 01**

Three years had passed.

Thanks to efforts of the brave men and women, the world had been saved from destruction brought upon by the likes of the Ze Balmary Empire, the Divine Crusaders, the Einst and the Shadow Mirror, and mankind once again owned their existence to these warriors. They, who were referred to as the Super Robot Heroes, banded together and joined force as one, fighting against the impossible and braving the odds to reach victory.

With peace, came a new threat.

An interstellar crime organization that would be known as the Green Sphere began their bid to unleash terror under their New World Order flag. Provoking a global-scale war for their own benefit, the Green Sphere would stop at nothing to achieve their goal of total supremacy -- even at the cost of humankind's survival.

Now, again, our bands of heroes shall rise again and raise the flag of peace. They, whom people had revered for their blazing spirit and never-ending courage, will once again pierce through the highest of heavens above and fly beyond tomorrow to fight for freedom and justice.

-x-x-x-x-x-

_// Iwo Jima //_

**_"PLASMA SPIRAL DIVE!!!!!"_**

The DaiRaiOh crashed. The surrounding drones were obliterated by the powerful dive kick the Dynamic General Guardian. An impact crater was what was left from the Plasma Spiral Dive, and from within the dust the DaiRaiOh emerged in its prowess.

_"Damage reading was over 9000,"_ Minaki Tomine informed._ "Good job, DaiRaiOh."_

The DaiRaiOh's pilot sighed. "Hey, come on. Can we redo the training run? I need to break the ten thousand-barrier record," Touma Kano uttered.

_"That's enough, Touma,"_ Minaki replied._ "You've been pushing yourself too much today. Let's give it a break, okay?"_

"What? Don't tell me you didn't know what we had done the other day," Touma chided. "It was the most hot-blooded fight we had ever gone through! And the east… the east… IT WAS BURNING RED!!!!"

_"Cut it out,"_ Minaki sighed. _"Get down here. I need to show you DaiRaiOh's latest data."_

"Okay, okay."

The DaiRaiOh knelt. Its cockpit opened, and Touma jumped off the super robot as to meet up with Simon and Yoko. "You were so awesome," Kittan Bachika praised. "Your dive kick was the greatest attack I've ever seen." His sisters nodded to agree.

Touma laughed braggingly. "But I have to say Simon and his Gurren Lagann are the best ever. I mean, GIGA DRILL BREAKER? What kind of winning attack is that?"

Kittan grinned. "I bet Simon will be happy to hear it."

Touma, Kittan and the sisters headed to the camp. There, they meet the crews of the Kurogane, and things did not look quite well. "What's the commotion we're having here?" Touma asked.

"One of our allies in Siberia reported the sighting of an unknown mecha attacking the Earth Federation's patrols," Brooklyn "Bullet" Luckfield said as he approached them. "Kyosuke and Excellen have been sent to the area to investigate as we speak. Amuro is also there to help."

"Is there any problem going on, Bullet?" Yoko asked.

"Let me show you." Bullet showed them a video playback of an encounter between the Earth Federation patrol team and an unknown jet black-painted Real Trooper. "This video was sent to the Kurogane twenty minutes ago by the Earth Federation Army. They were asking for our opinion regarding the recorded event," he explained.

Touma watched the video, as so did Simon, Yoko and the rest of the crews. His attention was fixated on the jet black Real Trooper, and his curiosity rose as to see the machine's combat capability against the patrolling units.

_"Holy crap! Is that a Huckebein?!"_

Touma's eyebrow arched upward. "Huckebein?"

"Not only a Huckebein," Sanger Zonvolt spoke (standing next to him, Irui was sweetly smiling to Kittan's sisters). "It's a Mark III. As far as we're concerned, the possibility for a _third_ Mark III to exist is close to none, and yet the video just showed us."

"It seemed the patrol had dealt with an entirely new version of Huckebein," Hikawa Ryoto added. "Whoever built the Mark III must have acquired the blueprints from Mao Industries."

"That doesn't sound good, does it?" Kittan asked.

Ryoto nodded. "Until we can figure out who built it and what they're up to with the Mark III, it is best that we investigate the incident."

Touma took no attention to the ongoing conversation. His eyes were completely glued onto the jet black Huckebein; his curiosity turned into awe when the Huckebein performed a series of kick-based attacks and ended the spree with a dive kick not too dissimilar to Plasma Spiral Dive.

"Whoever performed those moves must be an expert martial artist or have trained under an accomplished guru," Sanger spoke.

"What does that supposed to mean?" Kittan asked.

"That means whoever piloting that Huckebein is now officially my rival!" Touma declared and suddenly cried hot-blooded tears of manliness. "That dive kick… it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my whole life!"

_"Oi, oi,"_ Bullet murmured.

"_Yosh_! It's been decided!" Touma bellowed and pointed to the ceiling. "I shall pierce through tomorrow with my heavenly kick and challenge that person into a duel!" Everybody laughed at Touma's imitation of Simon's "heaven-transcending" speech and clapped hands to his antics.

"I think Simon won't be happy when he heard that," Kittan chuckled.

"_Ne_, Bullet-_kun_," Irui spoke and shattered everyone's attention to the DaiRaiOh operator as they looked at the little girl, "where's Kusuha-_oneechan_?"

"Oh, Kusuha? I think she's preparing her health drink again," Bullet said.

_(At the Kurogane's kitchen, Kusuha was preparing the health drink with the help of Rätsel Feinschmecker when she suddenly sneezed. "Cold, Kusuha?" Rätsel asked._

_"It must be Bullet again," Kusuha mumbled.)_

-x-x-x-x-x-

_// Siberia //_

"Did you find anything down there?"

The Alt Eisen Riese slowly waded through the debris, stopping as it feet was entangled in branches and woods. "How am I supposed to find anything if I'm getting stuck here every minute?" Kyosuke Nanbu retorted.

"Because you're the only one who can handle the wreckage," Excellen Browning replied. "You don't have to be grumpy, you know?"

"Then come down here and give me some hand," Kyosuke insisted.

The Weiss Ritter descended to ground level. Excellen took her time observing the football pitch-sized crater that stretched across the forest. "Talk about impact," she cooed. "Kyosuke, you think anything can produce a crater this size?"

"I don't know," Kyosuke answered and brought the Alt Eisen Riese towards remains of a Strike Dagger. "And this doesn't look like it was attacked by…"

_"This is Amuro. Kyosuke, Excellen, do you find anything useful?"_

The two custom-built Gespensts looked up, and saw the Hi V Gundam hovering over their head. "Not even a single piece of the wrecks is useful," Excellen muttered. "I mean, look. All of them are totally busted. What we can do about it?"

The Mobile Suit hovered next to the Weiss Ritter. "It's better that we continue investigating," Amuro said. "Though I'm wondering of who would do this, too."

"You know, you sound as cool as always, Amuro," Excellen said and was about to follow the Mobile Suit when the Weiss Ritter's alarm set off. "Enemy? Kyosuke! What's your radar reading?"

Kyosuke noticed the map was showing sudden influx of activities, marked by blipping red dots that riddled the LCD screen. "We have unknown units all around us!"

From nowhere, tens of Gespensts and Doms surrounded them, pinning them down with machinegun assault and rocket bombardment. The Alt Eisen Riese and the Weiss Ritter immediately jumped out of danger and counterattacked with their long-ranged weapons. The Hi V Gundam fired its Beam Rifle at the attacking Doms and flew over the custom-built Gespensts.

"Rätsel! We're under attack! Can you hear us?" Excellen shouted into the intercom and screamed in dismay as one of the Gespensts pounced at her. "Hey! You don't want to learn to respect other woman, do you?" she growled and fired the Oxtongue Rifle at the opposing Gespenst.

"Our communication's jammed!" Amuro yelled and dodged an incoming missile fired from the Dom. "We can't contact the Kurogane! We're cut off!"

Kyosuke discharged the Revolver Bunker cartridges. He dodged another Gespenst's missiles and counterattacked with 60mm Vulcan. "What the hell's going on?" he demanded.

"There's just too many of them!" Excellen moaned and fired her Oxtongue Rifle at several Doms. "How are we supposed to deal with them!?"

The Hi V Gundam repelled a Heat Sabre and fired its pulse rifle through the Mobile Suit. It deployed its Fin Funnel to create a moving barrier to keep the assailants away from it and Team ATX. "We can't get through them, either! Kyosuke, Excellen, stay close to me," Amuro said.

"Roger!"

Amidst the confusion and disorder from the ambush, the three units manage to hear a news report broadcasted on their frequency, and were aghast to hear the news. _"This just in. The Baikonur Cosmodrome has fallen to the Green Sphere in a pre-emptive strike that killed 200 Kazakh soldiers. Led by their Heavenly General Lords, the Green Sphere gains control over the space centre and is broadcasting their supreme leader's speech around the world."_

Amuro gasped. "Terrorists?"

"What? No way!" The Weiss Ritter fired a shot at the pouncing Gespenst and approached the Alt Eisen Riese for cover. "What are we supposed to do now? Kyosuke, got any idea?"

_"Everybody, duck!"_

Amuro, Kyosuke and Excellen were not sure who was shouting at them, but they did what the voice told them. Immediately the three mechas ducked low, and instantly afterwards a loud bang was heard from across the pine forest. A super-compressed energy bullet was fired from beneath the woods and exploded over the grunts, wiping out one-quarter of the divisions.

"What is that?" Excellen asked and squealed in dismay when another energy bullet exploded overhead.

_"Team ATX! This is your chance! Counterattack!"_

They were unsure of what the help was for.

_"Do it!"_

And they did.

The Alt Eisen Riese jumped out of its crouching position and fired its Vulcan at one of the Doms. The Mobile Suit was knocked out of its feet, and the Alt Eisen Riese pounced at the Dom.

"Eat this!"

The Revolving Bunker penetrated the Dom's armour, and the iron stake slammed into the Mobile Suit in quick succession before the Dom was released from its grip. The Dom crashed onto several Gespensts and exploded. The Alt Eisen Riese walked away from the exploded, cartridges unloaded from the Revolving Bunker.

"Wow! Kyosuke is always cool!" Excellen turned around and dodged a Gespenst's Jet Magnum. "Now, now, would you like to have some lesson about respect?" She stabbed the Oxtongue Rifle into the Gespenst's midsection and disintegrated the Personal Trooper with a well-aimed E-Mode. "How about that?" she said and reloaded the rifle.

Amuro regained control of the Fin Funnel and turned to the other Gespensts and Doms. "Go! Fin Funnel!" The weapon system swarmed the robots and pinned them down, allowing Amuro to fire the Beam Cannon at the robots.

The threat was eliminated. The three robots met with each other and gathered at the empty patch of the area. They looked around them; while they felt accomplished with what they had achieved, they could not help feeling suspicious of the sudden act of aggression.

"Terrorists? I can't believe such thing does actually exist," Excellen mumbled and kicked one of the crippled Doms. "Just what the hell happened?"

"Excellen, calm down," Kyosuke said.

"How am I supposed to calm down," Excellen murmured and continued kicking the Dom, "when nobody here can tell me the actual truth?"

_"Are you alright, Team ATX?"_

They turned around. Two robots came out of their hiding spot and walked toward them. "That looks like Advanced Real Troopers," Kyosuke spoke. "Are you here to investigate the incident as well?"

_"That's true, Team ATX. However, that is all you need to know,"_ one of the Advanced Real Troopers' pilots spoke.

"Why are you… no! That's not the problem," Excellen replied. "Who are you?"

The Advanced Real Troopers halted. They looked at each other, nodded and turned back to the Rein Weiss Ritter. _"We are the Pistoleros,_" the pilot replied. _"Pleased to meet you."_

"The Pistoleros…" Amuro murmured. "I thought I had heard of this name before." He noticed one of the Doms arising from the ground and jumped towards the Advanced Real Trooper. "Behind you!"

The robot turned around. The Dom was aiming the Heat Blade at its head.

"Watch out!"

The Heat Blade was deftly blocked.

The Advanced Real Trooper was slightly pressed into the ground as it endured the head-on attack. Everybody looked at the robot and saw a strange-looking sword held in its hand.

_"So, shall we dance?"_

The Advanced Real Trooper kicked the Dom out of the way.

_"Let's go, Beowulf!"_

The Advanced Real Trooper fired away. The Dom received six precision-aimed attacks and was crippled all over again as the HE bullets exploded. The second Advanced Real Trooper took action and fired its rifle at the Dom, further damaging it.

The green/white Advanced Real Trooper knelt down.

_"Gun Blade Strike Mode… Execute!"_

It pounced at the Dom. The Advanced Real Trooper -- the Beowulf -- incapacitated the Dom's limbs and left it without arms and legs. The attacking spree ended when the Beowulf impaled the sword into the Dom and fired six HE bullets into it. It kicked the Dom out of the way as to allow the other Advanced Real Trooper to finish off where it had left.

_"Saunion Rifle Ballistic Mode!!"_

The Advanced Real Trooper fired multiple solid projectiles at the Dom. The attack completely destroyed the Mobile Suit, and nothing was left as the Dom was caught in a massive explosion that lit the sky. The robot turned away from the explosion and unloaded empty cartridges off the Saunion Rifle.

The Advanced Real Troopers glanced at them. _"We don't have much time,"_ the Beowulf's pilot spoke. _"We should be going to Hokkaido right away. Your presence will be highly welcomed."_

"Wait! Just wait!" Excellen exclaimed (and stopped the Advanced Real Troopers on their tracks). "I don't know what really happened, but… are we at war again?"

_"Sadly, yes,"_ the pilot replied. _"It's unlike anything anyone of you has faced before."_

The Advanced Real Troopers headed towards an arriving airship. Team ATX and Amuro were left behind in the wilderness of Siberian outback. They were confused; what kind of war the Pistoleros were talking of? It could not be happening: with the threats of the Aerogaters, the Ze Balmary Empire and the Divine Crusaders gone, the world should have been at peace. It should have been, and yet with the _terrorists_ rising, they could not afford to let peace slip away in harm.

_"Okay…" Excellen uttered and turned to Kyosuke and Amuro. "What are we supposed to do now?"_


	3. Cherry Blossom

**SUPER ROBOT WARS LW **

**CHAPTER 02 **

_// Aeroscraft, 25,000 metres above sea level // _

Team ATX were inside the hangar. Having accepted the Pistoleros' invitation, they could only wait for them to greet them before doing anything else.

"Alright, then," Excellen said as she walked around the vicinity of the hangar. "What are we supposed to do now?" Kyosuke did not answer the question; instead, he took a seat under the Alt Eisen Riese's Revolving Bunker, dozing off in tiredness. "Hey! You're supposed to answer me! Sheesh; he fell asleep."

"By the way, Amuro," Excellen spoke as she turned to Amuro. "When you said something about the Pistoleros, did it mean you know anything about them?"

"There was a rumour circulating around the Londo Bell about the Divine Crusaders' special operation division," Amuro answered. "I remembered my colleague mentioning the nickname Pistoleros before. If my memory is right, they were supposed to be the DC's best snipers."

"That didn't sound good," Excellen replied. "But how come none of us ever heard of DC snipers?"

"They were supposed to operate in covert, and the DC had fiercely maintained the Pistoleros were nothing more than an urban legend," Amuro continued. "Even I thought they never existed, but when the pilot introduced themselves to us…"

The door was opened. With the exception of the still-sleeping Kyosuke, they turned around and saw a woman and a boy walking into the hangar. "My apology for all the complications," the woman said after the pair approached Excellen and Amuro. "Your presence onboard is very much welcomed. Please make yourself comfortable."

Excellen blinked. "I thought I had heard that voice before…" She counted her fingers, scratching her head as she looked for the explanation. When she finally did, she was in for big surprise. "Ah! You're the robot's pilot!"

The woman giggled. "Perhaps I should introduce myself today." She corrected her eyeglasses and coughed for a couple of times. "My name is Frieda Hartmann," she pronounced her name and patted the boy's head. "This is my son Takeru Izumi."

The boy bowed. "2nd Lieutenant Takeru Izumi. Call sign: Pistolero 2. Pleased to meet you."

"I'm Excellen Browning," Excellen started. "This is Amuro Ray (Amuro nodded) and that sleeping man over there is Kyosuke."

Frieda and Takeru looked at the Beowulf. "I'm sure he's not the sociable type of person, is he?"

"Nah, he just decided to doze off," Excellen said and twitched when Kyosuke replied with "I heard you, Excellen." Frieda, Takeru and Amuro were staring at her as she started to laugh in silly manners before she yelled at Kyosuke in anger.

"I assume both of you are very close, aren't you?" Frieda asked.

"Of course we are!" Excellen boasted. "We are lovers! Lovers are always close, right Kyosuke?" Much to her chagrin, Kyosuke lazily replied with a wave and went to doze off again. "What's wrong with you? We have our introduction to do! Hey, Kyosuke!"

The alarm buzzed. "Oh, my, our introduction surely needs to finish some other day, right?" Frieda uttered. (Excellen moaned in protest at the alarm and shouted at the noise in anger.)

"What happened?" Amuro asked.

"We'd like it if you could give us some hands," Frieda said. "The Pistoleros have been assigned to hunt down the Green Sphere since they stole the new prototype from the testing facility in Finland."

"The Green Sphere? You must be talking about the terrorists, aren't you?" Amuro asked again.

"Major Hartmann, the Metal Gunslingers are ready," one of the engineers reported. Takeru excused himself and immediately headed to the Metal Gunslingers, climbing onto the Silberkugel for takeoff.

"This looks like an important mission to us," Amuro said.

"So, everyone," Frieda said and corrected her eyeglasses. "Would you like to help?"

-x-x-x-x-x-

_// Shirokaze Town, Hokkaido // _

_"Gespenst Mark II Type-S has killed Strike Freedom with Gespenst Kick! Player 1 wins!" _

_"Yatta!!"_ The girl cheered and exchanged high-fives with her schoolmates. "This is my fifth victory this week!" she said and punched the air in repeated motions. "Take that! You know you can't defeat the White Demon that easily!" she jeered at the defeated player who had left the arcade.

"That was a great match, Sakura-_chan_," the girl's friend said.

The girl chuckled and started outstretching herself. "I'm the ace of this game, right?" she said. "Besides, with five championship titles around my belt, I'm the undisputed champion around."

Another friend of the girl reminded her with a poke on the nose. "Pompous Sakura-_chan_ is pompous. Don't forget to step on the humble ground," she said with a giggle.

"So what's your plan after this?" the orange-haired girl asked.

"I don't know," the girl replied as the trio left the arcade. "But Otousama told me I should be visiting Centaur-Hanagami this afternoon. They're going to field their new prototype. Oh! I can't wait to see it in action!"

The orange-haired girl laughed. "Oh, okay then. We hope we aren't bothering you," she said.

"No, Patricia, you won't. I'd rather have you and Suzuka-_chan_ stay to watch," the girl replied.

"We'll see about that," they joked.

The girls reached a shopping mall and looked at one another. "I guess we'll meet again at class tomorrow," Patricia said.

"Aren't you coming with us, Sakura-_chan_?" Suzuka asked.

"I can't right now, Suzuka-_chan_. Sorry," the girl apologized.

"Oh, alright then. Be careful on your trip, Sakura-_chan_," the purple-haired girl said.

"Bye-bye, Sakura," Patricia said.

_"Ja! Mata ashita!" _

The trio bade farewell and separated to their destination. The twin ponytail girl headed to the field, running down the road as to chase time and watching spot. She arrived at the field where hoards of people had been gathering around the perimeter, barricaded by military polices to prevent them from trespassing the area.

"Hey, Sakura," one of the bystanders waved to her. "Good timing. The robot hasn't arrived yet, so can I buy you some drink?"

"Thanks, Kazuki-_san_," the girl replied, "but I'm in a hurry. I have to meet Suzuki-_san_ right away. Later, okay?" She headed to the makeshift tent and asked the workers to bring her to the field test superintendent.

_(Sakura Kazahana. Citizen of the peaceful seaside Shirokaze Town. An avid fan of arcade robot fighting game, she is one of the leading PT Tournament contestants and has won the regional-level competition for five consecutive times. Very naïve, clumsy at times and tends to question every chore she performs, she is nevertheless well-liked by the townspeople for her friendliness and openhearted attitude. She loves cooking and has a pet ferret named Yuno.) _

Sakura was not impressed by the answer. "You mean the test has been cancelled?" she growled in protest. "When I thought I could see it up close…"

"We're very sorry, Kazahana-_san_," the officer (25-year-old Suzuki Franklin) answered. "But due to terrorists' threat, the upper administration has decided to call off the prototype's deployment."

Sakura stooped her head in defeat. "I knew it. I should've read the newspaper yesterday…"

The woman just smiled and corrected her eyeglasses. "Tell me, Sakura," she said as she went informal, "do you really want to become a mecha pilot? Your father has expressed his thought of assigning you to the corporation as our test pilot."

"I would like to," Sakura scratched the back of her head. "But right now I still have school to attend. Not considering this month's PT tournament I have to train."

The conversation was interrupted when a military police entered the tent. "Miss Franklin! The terrorists have arrived! We have to go to the bunker!" he reported.

"Just as I thought," Suzuki said. "Sakura, we have to leave. Follow me."

"Err… yes, right away!"

Sakura and Suzuki left the tent and were escorted to an underground bunker, while military polices were evacuating civilians from the field. The deployment of Centaur-Hanagami's prototype had to be cancelled when terrorists were detected around the seaside town, and now everybody was running for safety.

The commotion stopped. Everybody looked up and pointed skywards, as if they had spotted something over their head. Sakura stopped following Suzuki and looked into the sky.

"Am I seeing it right?"

_A caped mecha emerged out of its entry pod, leaving the crowd in curiosity as it descended towards the coastline. _

The girl followed the mecha, notwithstanding the crowd that started panicking again when soldiers ordered them to leave the town. She arrived at the beach, and was appalled to see more and more robots landing on the beach and heading to Shirokaze Town.

"It's the terrorists!"

The caped mecha landed next to Sakura, almost startling her because the landing was smooth rather than a hard crash. "I know you…" It took Sakura a while to figure out the answer, and when she did she was in for big surprise. "You're the Romancer Otousama has always told me!"

In a gesture that was as intriguing as it was unanticipated, it knelt and brought its hand to the ground, directly in front of Sakura. It was as if it was asking her to come aboard it, and it ignored the fact that the town was attacked by terrorists.

"You want me… to get up?"

-x-x-x-x-x-

_// Aeroscraft // _

"Assault 1, launching!"

"Assault 2, launching!"

"Hi-V Gundam, _ikimasu_!"

"Pistolero 1 and 2, launching!"

"Everyone, our mission is to prevent the terrorists from stealing the new prototype," Frieda said as the mechas descended to lower altitude. "But we also have to protect the civilians and keep the terrorists from destroying the town."

"Assault 1, roger," Kyosuke replied.

"Understood," Excellen said. "Frieda, if I have to ask, does this have to do with the fall of Baikonur?"

"I'm afraid so," Frieda answered. "The Green Sphere is unlike the other kind of terrorists we have come across. If I can summarize them in a phrase, _they're ruthless._"

"Ruthless…" Kyosuke pondered. "I don't like the sound of that word."

"We'll split up," Frieda later spoke. "The Pistoleros will take care of the eastern sector. Team ATX, Amuro, you are to go to the Centaur-Hanagami's facility in the east."

"Roger," the three pilots answered.

The mechas arrived over the town. The Pistoleros headed east, while Team ATX and the Hi-V Gundam flew west. Upon arrival at the facility, they were immediately greeted by Lion-F's anti-air missiles and had to dodge. "Hey! Is this the proper way to greet a lady?" Excellen demanded and fired the Oxtongue Rifle.

The Alt Eisen Riese was surrounded by the Doms as it landed close to the building. "Trying to repeat the tactic like in the Siberia, huh?" Kyosuke chided and blocked one of the Doms' Heat Sabres with its Plasma Horn. He counterattacked, and the Dom was tossed into smithereens by the Plasma Horn.

Amuro manoeuvred the Hi-V Gundam to outrun a Guarlion and blasted it with its Beam Rifle. "They're coming from everywhere!" Amuro shouted.

The Alt Eisen Riese head-butted a Dom and plunged its Vulcan into the mecha. "Whatever they want to look for, don't let them get close to the facility," Kyosuke spoke and kicked the destroyed Dom out of the way.

"I don't think these guys will give up!" Excellen cried out and fired an energy beam at a row of Armorlions. "Whoosh! One stone, three birds!"

The three mechas' RWR buzzed. Excellen, Kyosuke and Amuro could not put their eyes on the radar as they were too busy attacking and counterattacking the terrorists, but then Excellen spotted a caped mecha standing on the beach close by.

_And she saw a girl climbing into the robot's cockpit. _

"Did I just see it right?"

-x-x-x-x-x-

_// Sylvia // _

Sakura had came onboard the Sylvia and was now sitting inside its cockpit. "I know this is similar to the PT cockpit," she murmured and looked for any manuals that could help her. "Uhh… how am I supposed to pilot this thing anyway?"

The control panel activated by itself. Sakura looked down at the panel and saw the screen blinking many times. The cursor was typing something on the screen, and she waited for it to complete.

_"Welcome onboard Sylvia. Initiating voice recognition. Please say your name." _

Sakura blinked. "Is this robot talking to me?" She wasted no time and spoke to the voice recognition software. "Sakura Kazahana."

_"Sakura Kazahana. Processing and storing voice data." _

Sakura waited again.

_"Data stored. Approving Master Sakura as Sylvia's operator."_

**_"EH???" _**

Amidst the new information overload, Sakura managed to see several Guarlions chasing after a lone starship above the town. _"We have civilians onboard! Please hold your fire!"_ she heard the starship captain shouting in the intercom.

Then another voice was heard: _"As if we would._ _We care of nothing but money. Prepare yourself!"_

"They're going to attack the ship!" Sakura gasped. "I must do something!"

The Sylvia reacted. It boosted its triple back-mounted thrusters and jumped towards the Guarlion in high speed, tackling it with such force both of them were driven several miles away from the town (and into the gulf). The girl got hold off herself after suffering from the initial impact and brought the mecha from the sea.

"Did I just do something?" Sakura asked.

_"Are you alright, Master?" _

Sakura had to stabilize herself. "Yes, somehow." She blinked again. "You… you were talking to me just now!!"

Several Guarlions fired their machineguns at the Sylvia. Panicked, Sakura shouted "DODGE!" and the Sylvia steered away from the attacks. The Doms continued attacking and Sakura continued shouting "DODGE!" many times, making the Sylvia zip around the sky in frantic manners.

_"Warning!" _

The Sylvia was sneak-attacked by a Guarlion. Sakura was not sure of what she was doing, but she did what she had learned from the arcade game.

"I need a weapon!"

The Sylvia complied and withdrew a bayonet-tipped pole from its back and incapacitated the Guarlion. She now gained confidence and faced the rest of the mechas. "Yosh! I can do this. Let's go!"

_"Yes, Master." _

-x-x-

_// unknown location // _

"What did you say?"

"We're very sorry, sir! The terrorists have attacked the facility, and we have to abort the deployment."

"Professor Franklin! The Sylvia self-activated itself and is now fighting off the terrorists."

"Who authorizes the activation of the Sylvia?"

"No one, Professor. It seems the Sylvia has acted on its own will."

"Its own will? Impossible! There has to be someone piloting the Sylvia! Give me more reports on it!"

"Professor, you aren't going to believe this. There's a girl onboard the Sylvia. Either she forgot to switch the radio frequency or the terrorists have deployed frequency jamming, but we can't contact her at the moment."

"Professor?"

The old man fell onto the chair. "At this point, we can do nothing more than wait," he told his colleagues. "God help us."

-x-x-

_// Sylvia // _

_"Unknown robot, can you hear me?" _

Sakura glanced at the right panel. The Weiss Ritter was several hundreds feet away from the Sylvia, shooting at the enemy with its Oxtongue Rifle. "Yes, I can hear you," she replied.

_"We'll help you with the terrorists,"_ the voice continued, even as the Weiss Ritter continued firing at the oncoming Doms. _"Is that alright?"_

Sakura was about to answer when an explosion caught her attention. She looked at the other direction and saw the Doms leaving the crumbled the shopping mall. She remembered her friends going to the mall. "…Patricia… Suzuka-_chan_…"

She snapped. _"YAMETE!!!" _

The Sylvia pounced at the Doms and impaled them with the Fin Blade. "What have you done to my friends? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY FRIENDS!!!!??" she screamed, even as the Sylvia continued shredding every piece of the Doms with the Fin Blade.

Sakura was infuriated. The terrorists were going to destroy her hometown, and she knew many lives would be in danger.

She turned to the arriving mechas. She was not afraid of their numbers. She was not afraid of their advantages. _She was not afraid of anything_.

She clenched her hands on the dual controllers. "I will stop you…"

The control panel glowed bright magenta. _"Establishing weapon control. Standby."_

_("Professor Franklin, the Sylvia's Linked Power Core reading is rising!" _

_"Professor, the Sylvia's LIOH System is activated!" _

_"Who authorized the commencement of both systems?" _

_"No one, Professor! It seems the Sylvia has voluntarily triggered its systems!" _

_"It's the girl! It has to be the girl who pilots the Sylvia!") _

The Sylvia withdrew a shooting staff out of its shoulder plate. It charged the weapon with energy flows and made it glow bright magenta.

**"I will definitely stop you!!" **

_"Sylvia's weapon system ready. Master, your command." _

The girl screamed into the microphone.

"Raging Heart… **SHOOT!!!!"**

The Sylvia fired away.

In one swipe, the airborne Guarlions and Barrelions were wiped out by the energy beam. Sakura did not stop there and fired at the Doms, obliterating them into burning metal pieces. Then the Sylvia jumped into the air and charged at the terrorists to the east, firing the Raging Heart and stabbing the Fin Blade into the mechas.

"Why are we standing here? Kyosuke, let's give it some hand!" Excellen exclaimed and rushed towards the Sylvia.

"…" Kyosuke followed her lead afterwards.

"Excellen is always fired up, isn't she?" Not wanting the question to waste his time, Amuro brought the Hi-V Gundam towards the Sylvia.

"Unknown robot, allow us to assist you!" Kyosuke said as they approached the Sylvia.

The Sylvia kicked the impaled Guarlion into the ground. "I don't care!" Sakura shouted. "Just don't let them destroy my hometown!"

"Well, well," Frieda grinned. "This is going to be interesting. Takeru."

"Yes, Miss Frieda?" Takeru replied and brought the Silberkugel close to the Beowulf.

"Let's dance, shall we?" the spectacled woman asked.

"With pleasure, Miss Frieda!" Takeru answered in excitement.

Mayhem ensued. More and more terrorists' mecha arrived over Shirokaze Town, and the sky became a smoke-filled battlefield. The Metal Gunslingers were outmanoeuvring the Guarlions' Sonic Breakers and catching them off-guard with their unconventional 60mm dual handguns; the Hi-V Gundam whizzed around the area, shooting its Beam Rifle at any mecha that was approaching; the Sylvia fired another Raging Heart bombardment without showing any sign of overheating; the Alt Eisen Riese and the Weiss Ritter were fighting their way towards the Sylvia, covering each other from the terrorists.

"Damn, at this rate we won't be able to drive them out," Amuro said and brought the Hi-V Gundam to a firing distance. "Hyper Bazooka Launcher… HASSHA!" The Hi-V Gundam fired the cannon, destroying almost 60 percent of the terrorists in one shot, but the radar showed another concentration of the terrorists to the north-west. "Oh, hell no."

_"Kyosuke! Excellen! Amuro! Can you hear me?" _

Excellen had to grin. "Rätsel-_san_! Just in time!"

The Kurogane had arrived, having been tipped off by EFA intelligence agents to head to Hokkaido. Immediately upon arrival, the DaiRaiOh and the King Kittan took off and flew into the battlefield, assisting Team ATX and the Pistoleros in dealing with the mercenaries. Even Masaki and the Cybuster took part and instantly fired a Cyflash that knocked half of the attacking Airlions.

Onboard, Rätsel watched the entire battle in interest. His eyes were fixated to the Sylvia, as the caped mecha was relentlessly smacking the hell out of the terrorists. "What do you think?" he asked Sanger.

The grey-haired man nodded. "She has potential."

The Alt Eisen Riese and the Weiss Ritter landed next to the Sylvia as it began cooling down. "Unknown robot, we'll take it from here. Excellen, follow my lead!" Kyosuke declared.

"Alright, alright! If we do this together, we can beat the terrorists, right?" The Weiss Ritter withdrew its Oxtongue Rifle and commenced attack. "Well, what are we waiting for? Take this and that and there too!"

Amuro took his attacking position. "Now! Go! Fin Funnel!" The remotely controlled Funnels detached from the Hi-V Gundam and pursued the Guarlions.

"You have no fear, King Kittan is here!" Kittan declared and attacked the Barrelions.

The DaiRaiOh took the air. "PLASMA SPIRAL DIVE!!!!" Touma screamed and dive-kicked the Doms.

The carnage finally stopped. The remaining mercenaries fled the town. Everybody onboard the Kurogane and the mechas cheered in victory and sighed in relief.

The Weiss Ritter landed. Excellen jumped out of the cockpit and approached the Sylvia, which was standing amidst the ruins. "Hey! Anyone onboard! Are you alright?" she shouted.

The Sylvia knelt. The cockpit opened, and Sakura stepped outside. She was dazed, too tired after spamming the Raging Heart attack. "Patricia… Suzuka-_chan_… please be safe…"

"Hey! You there!" Excellen continued shouting (and not noticing Kyosuke who had approached her). "Are you alright? Yoo-hoo! Hello?"

Sakura did not hear the shout from below. She looked around her. Her beloved hometown was now in ruins. She was frustrated; despite her best efforts, the terrorists still managed to cause serious damages to Shirokaze Town.

"Sakura-_chan_!"

She was startled. She turned to the right and saw Patricia and Suzuka carried out of the shopping mall ruins by the soldiers. A faint smiled finally carved upon her face. "You're safe… thank goodness…"

She fainted, and fell off the Sylvia's hand into the ground, caught by Kyosuke before she crashed. Both Kyosuke and Excellen looked at the unconscious girl, and then at the Sylvia that had turned idle.

_"This girl piloted that mecha?" Excellen asked. _


	4. Who The Hell Do You Think I Am!

**SUPER ROBOT WARS LW  
CHAPTER 03**

**Please see**: all characters in this story will be referred to with their first name preceding their family names, as to follow Western naming style.

By the way, the Great Gurren Brigade will appear here. This means the Simon/Touma/Sanger conversation in chapter 1 has been ret-conned.

-x-x-x-x-x-

_// unknown location //_

The young woman sighed.

Today's mission was very tiresome, and she had to take a full day's break to recover from her fatigue. To make matters worse, her performance was criticized by the Council, and she had been speechless to answer the Council's questions. She was neither disappointed by the harsh critics nor her alleged poor accomplishment. She was a soldier, and it was her duty to become the best.

"General Testarossa, we have prepared the hot spring for you," the maids spoke as they bowed to the kimono-wearing woman.

"Thanks. You may leave," she replied. The maids nodded and left the woman to her private world.

She entered the room the size of a swimming pool. Untying the strings and letting the clothes slip to her feet, she tipped into the pool and sighed in pleasure as the warm water began its wonder. She settled down and stared at her reflection on the water surface. Her astounding figure, barely covered by the steamy air, was visibly striking and displayed her prowess as a fully grown individual. Her silky skin seemed to refresh whenever it came to contact with the warm fog; her assets that perfectly matched the curvature of her body; the ruby eyes that seemed to glitter under the light.

She closed her eyes. She wanted to forget everything, and let the warmth of the indoor hot spring embrace her bare body. She let her body to slowly sink into the water and freely float.

Then her eyes opened.

She had encountered many opponents, and she had fought each and every one of them, yet none of them would give her the type of challenge she needed.

"What should I do, Alicia?"

She closed her eyes again.

-x-x-x-x-x-

_// Seto Inland Sea //_

_"Terrorists' attack on Shirokaze Town yesterday afternoon had been successfully thwarted, thanks to the quick response of the Earth Federation Army. It is unknown why the terrorists carried out the attack but it had been reported that the terrorist, claiming themselves as the Green Sphere, are after the state-of-the-art Romancer of the Silver Moon mecha designed and developed by the Centaur-Hanagami Heavy Industries. No casualties have been reported so far, and the seaport itself suffers relatively minor damage."_

The TV was turned off. Gilliam Yeager shook his head at the latest development of war on terror. "The terrorists are taking more and more steps to wreck worldwide chaos. It's somehow good to hear Rätsel and their buddies saving the town, though," he said. "Hope they don't find out this place."

He later turned to the Grungust, as the testing facility's crews were preparing the super robot. "I can worry of the terrorists later. I have the Grungust and the new equipment to test," he pondered.

"Alright, then! Things are ready to go," said Irmgult Kazahara after he performed a final check-up on the Grungust. "Oi! Is the test pilot here already?"

"He's at the café right now, Irm," one of the workers said. "He'll be here shortly."

"Then get him right over here," Irmgult shouted. "The sooner we get this test started, the sooner we can finish this and go home." He spotted the test pilot coming into the hangar with a woman accompanying him. "Just in time. Hey, you!"

Gilliam watched from the comfort of the control room, as Irmgult met up with the newcomers and said a couple of words with them. The test pilot bowed to Irmgult many times before he was directed to the awaiting Grungust.

"Nagasumi Kenshiro," Gilliam murmured the pilot's name. "Qualified as a robot pilot at the age of 14 and enlisted to the Earth Federation Army on his 15th birthday. His specialty in close-range combat earns him the nickname Spirited Guardian."

_-"This is Nagasumi. Requesting permission to begin operation."-_

"Command centre to Nagasumi, you are cleared," the operator spoke. "You may proceed."

_-"Thank you, command centre."-_

Slowly the Grungust detached from the cable and headed to the beach. The giant robot halted after it approached a couple of decommissioned Barrelions. It reared back and lunged forward to fire a Boost Knuckle at the Lions, destroying them in one hit.

_-"Yosh! I did it!"- _

The Grungust turned to face several remote-controlled Lion-Fs buzzing around in the air. It transformed into the Windgust and performed simple aerial manoeuvres around the non-attacking drones. It turned back to the drones, shot them down with missiles and returned to the ground as Grungust.

_-"This is easier than I thought. How is it, Gilliam-san?"-_

"Good work, Nagasumi," Gilliam replied. "Continue with the test run."

_-"Alright then!"-_

"Grungust is uploading its information to the database," the system engineer reported as the Grungust continued attacking several more targets deployed everywhere around the beach.

"How is it going?" Gilliam asked.

"So far everything is going well."

The alarm suddenly buzzed. Gilliam and the operators were caught off-guard by the alarm. "What's going on?" Gilliam asked.

"Two unidentified objects heading towards Grungust!" the radar operator reported. "Hold on! Three! Four! It's increasing! There's too many of them!"

"It's the terrorist!" the engineer cried out.

_-"What the hell is that?"-_

Gilliam seized the microphone. "Nagasumi! Return to base! We're cancelling the test!" No answer was coming from the Grungust, and Gilliam repeated the radio contact. "Nagasumi! Can you hear me? Nagasumi!"

"Gilliam, the radio's jammed. We can't reach him," the radio operator told him.

"What in the world is going on?" Gilliam snarled. "How did they find us here?"

-x-x-x-x-x-

_// two miles away //_

"Aniki, are you sure this is the place?"

"There's no mistake about it. It's Kittan who told us to come here, isn't it?"

"But I think this place is a bit out of… place?"

"You always talk too much. Besides, I heard it's among the best sunset viewing spots."

The Gurren Brigade continued moving. Two of the members -- red-coloured Gunmens, the Gurren and the Lagann -- led the group, moving along the hillside road in slow pace. The Lagann was exposed, revealing its pilot (14-year-old goggles boy) to the freshness of Seto Inland Sea.

"Say, Aniki," the boy spoke.

"Hmm? What?" the Gurren pilot replied.

"When we fought those Gunmens, I never thought we'd be sucked into that portal we had come across," the boy continued. "I wonder what happened to Kittan and the rest of them after we come to this world."

"Don't worry too much," the Gurren pilot said. "If we got message from him, it means they're fine. Right, Yoko?" The red-haired, sniper rifle-wielding girl did not answer, but instead asked the group to stop. "What is it, Yoko? Have they arrived already?"

"I'm afraid it isn't them," the girl replied.

Everybody stopped. Up front, over the sea, the setting sun was riddled with dots that seemed to come out of nowhere. And facing the dots on the beach was a blue Grungust, and it became clear to the Gurren Brigade that the dots were outnumbering the mecha.

"Oi, oi, someone's thrown into a fight without even inviting us," the Gurren spoke (as it was synchronizing its mouth with its pilot's speech). "Simon, what do say?"

"I say we go and help him," the boy answered.

"Well, then." The Gurren Brigade changed direction and headed to the beach, with the Gurren pointing to the sun. "Quick! To the sunset!"

_// Grungust //_

"Damn it! I can't contact Gilliam-_san_!" Nagasumi Kenshiro said. "They must be jamming the radio frequency!" He quickly brought the Grungust back to the hangar, trying to outrun the threat that was coming towards the coastline.

The Grungust trembled. The system registered frontal damage, and it did not take long before the mecha was under attack. "It must be the terrorists San-_chan_ has been talking of!" Nagasumi pondered and regained control of the Grungust before it fell onto the sandy ground.

Nagasumi looked at one of the video screens, and was not amused to see numerous Gespensts and Doms coming from the sky. "They can't approach the facility!" Immediately he positioned the Grungust between the hangar and the coming terrorists. "I have to stop them somehow!"

A Gespenst fired its 60mm Vulcan. It did nothing more than knocking the Grungust off-balance but was sufficient enough for several Doms to pounce at the mecha. Stun rods were plunged into the Grungust's legs, electrocuting Nagasumi and short-circuiting the Grungust's system.

"Damn it! What do they think they're doing?!" Nagasumi counterattacked with a Boost Knuckle that destroyed some of the Gespensts, but caused the Grungust to overload and shut down. Nagasumi was now trapped, and could do no more than wait.

Then a miracle happened.

Inexplicably the remaining Gespenst exploded in succession, as if they had been hit by a surprise attack. "What happened?" Nagasumi peeked at the surviving video screen and saw two weird-looking robots running across the coastline towards his position. "Who?"

_"Unknown robot, leave this to us,"_ one of the robots said and snatched a sunglasses-shaped boomerang to be thrown back at the oncoming Doms. Its partners followed suit and tossed itself at the Gespensts, impaling them with drill attack before they could return fire.

_"Simon, let's go!"_

_"Understand, Aniki!"_

The smaller mecha transformed into a drill-spiked head and combined with the bigger mecha. Arms grew longer, legs increased in length and armoured plates with fiery skull emblems appeared on the mecha's shoulders.

_"Throw your logic and kick reason to curb! Beautifully following the golden road!"_

_"If there's a wall, knock it down! It's a road built with these hands!"_

The combined mecha snatched the boomerang eyeglasses. _"Kokoro no Magma no Honoo to Moeru! Chouzetsu Gattai! Gurren Lagann!" _**The Magma of the Heart's Final Ignition! Perfect Unification! Gurren Lagann!**

_" Ore wo!"_ the Lagann's pilot spoke.

_"Oretachi yo!"_ the Gurren's pilot added.

_"DARE DATTO OMOTTE YAGARU!!!!"_**WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK WE ARE!!!??**

The waves mysterious became gigantic and crashed onto the rocky beach behind the Gurren Lagann in a dramatic fashion. Nagasumi was startled. So did Gilliam, Irmgult and everyone else in the base. "Gurren… Lagann?"

The Gurren Lagann pounced at the opponents. "HOW DARE YOU DO THAT TO MY PRECIOUS UNDERLINGS!!!" it shouted and punched through multiple Gespensts and Doms. The red mecha returned to deliver a flying kick at another group of Doms and shouted: "WHO DO YOU THINK I AM!???"

"What the hell is this mecha?"

"We can't analyze it! It's not in our database!"

"Well, we just have to shoot it down!"

"I don't think you can touch us! I shall shove this fist into your sorry mouth!"

The manoeuvrability, firepower and overall capability of the Gurren Lagan were unheard of, and everybody could not analyze or comprehend. Even the terrorists were overwhelmed by the power of the burning heaven, and were soon kicked to curbs.

Gilliam, however, was more interested in the sudden increment of energy reading from the Gurren Lagann. "This energy doesn't come from a Psychodriver," he murmured. "What exactly is it?"

The Gurren Lagann stopped attacking the hordes. It backed the Grungust and made a defensive pose, facing the terrorists that had been assisted by reinforcements. "So you think you can attack him when he's incapable of fighting?" the Gurren pilot said.

"Who the hell do you think you are!?" one of the Gespenst pilots asked.

"Who the hell do I think I am?!" The Gurren Lagann pointed upward to the evening sky in dramatic fashion. _" ORE WA KAMINA! KAMINA-SAMA!! TEN NO TSUKURU DORIRU DA!!!"_ **I am Kamina! The Great Kamina!! The drill that pierces through the heavens!!!**

"The drill that pierces through the heavens? What kind of sick joke is that?!" a Dom pilot jeered.

"I'll show you what a sick joke is!" Kamina replied and activated the Gurren Lagann's cannon. _"KORE WA HONTO NO OTOKO NO KOKORO!"_ **This is the true spirit of men!**

Nagasumi took the opportunity from the confusion to bring back the damaged Grungust online. The backup power was well below the level, and the Grungust again shut down. "Damn it! I must do something! SOMEHOW!"

The Grungust rocked. One of the Doms had dodged the Gurren Lagann's punch and fired its Raketen Hammer at the mecha. It was blocked by the Gurren Lagann, and the red mecha suffered damages. The Dom was later destroyed by Yoko's long-range sniping attack from onboard the Dayakkaiser.

"Aniki! Are you alright?" Simon asked.

"Those rockets can't even scratch Gurren Lagann!" Kamina answered and pointed to the appalled Doms. "What say you if we return the fire double as much? THIS IS THE TRUE SPIRIT OF MEN!"

Nagasumi tried moving the dual controllers, but they would not bulge. "Capable or not, they won't beat all the terrorists!" he shouted. "Come on! Come on, Grungust! Do this for me! Please get up!" the Grungust would not respond to his command, even after he shouted to the microphone in his loudest voice. He became desperate and punched the control panel. _"ONEGAI DARO!!!"_

Inexplicably the system restored.

_// Base //_

"Gilliam! Grungust is registering sudden influx of power!" the system engineer screamed.

Gilliam was shocked. "What?"

"It must be the new Spiral Driver we had installed last week!" the engineer continued.

"Spiral Driver?" He compared the data the Grungust was transmitting with those he got from the Gurren Lagann. "The energy patterns are very similar. Can this be?"

_// Gurren Brigade //_

Leeron gasped. "This energy reading… it can't be! A Spiral?"

Simon, Kamina and Yoko were shocked. "What?"

_// Grungust //_

_"Kurae! FAINARU BIIIIIIIM!!"_ **Take this! FINAL BEAM!!!!!!!!!!!**

The Grungust fired the Final Beam at the terrorists, destroying them in one shot. The Gurren Lagann turned around, startled to see the Grungust restoring to full power and moving towards the terrorists.

"Oi, oi, what do you think you're doing?" Kamina asked.

"I must protect the base!" Nagasumi replied after he regained control of the Grungust. "I must protect San-_chan_! This is the path I have decided to take!" (At the base, the said person -- Nagasumi's wife, San Kawakami -- blushed. "Nagasumi-_san_…")

Kamina grinned at the declaration. "I like that hot-blooded spirit! You should join the Gurren Brigade sometimes!" he said.

"Aniki, you still have time to recruit him?" Simon asked in amazement.

"Get them!" the remaining terrorists roared and pounced at the two mechas.

"I'll show you Grungust's ultimate attack!" Nagasumi shouted and commanded the Grungust to withdraw its best weapon. _"Keitou… Ragouken!" _**Come forth… Calamity Sword!**

"Nice sword there," Kamina cooed.

The Grungust made a battle stance. _"Ankensatsu!"_**Darkness Attack!**

It turned forward and lunged towards the terrorists.

"DORYAAA!!!!"

The Grungust rocketed through, and executed fast airborne manoeuvres as it hacked and slashed and stabbed the terrorists' robots.

The Grungust reappeared, leaving the mechas suspended in midair.

_"ZAN!"_**Slash!**

One by one, they exploded and set a chain reaction that swept across the sky.

The Grungust left the explosion and landed. Nagasumi sighed and slumped into the ejection seat. "That was really close," he murmured. "Though what did I just do to make Grungust move?"

The video screens had come online, as so did the radio. "Nagasumi! Are you alright?" Gilliam asked.

"Nagasumi-_san_, please hang on!" San pleaded.

Nagasumi could only laugh. "I'm alright, Gilliam-_san_, San-_chan_."

"Nagasumi! You're going to pay for the damage you did to the Grungust!" Irmgult yelled.

Nagasumi laughed in silly manners. "Ah, sorry for damaging it, Irm-_san_," he apologized.

-x-x-x-x-x-

_// on a nearby cliff //_

He looked at the battle down below, shielded by the cockpit of the peculiar-looking white Mobile Fighter. He was neither interested in the terrorists nor the Grungust that had single-handedly destroyed the reinforcement. His eyes were fixated on the Gurren Lagann, even as the mecha performed dance-like movements in front of the Grungust.

_"What do you think, Domon?"_

The pilot of the God Gundam nodded. "For now, we have nothing to worry about them," he answered. "But I'm more concerned of the mysterious Real Trooper that attacked the EFA scouts."

_"The black Huckebein?"_

He nodded. "If the rumours are true, then the Green Sphere is not a matter to be laughed at," he said and kept watching, as the Grungust knelt and its pilot jumped off the cockpit to meet up with the base's workforces, as well as the Gurren Brigade that arrived afterwards. "Can you do a favour and look for any information about the Huckebein?"

_"I see if I can do anything about it, Domon. I'll let the rest of the Shuffle Alliance know of this, too."_

"Thanks, Rain."

The transmission cut off. He threw his sight to the evening sky (the God Gundam copied his movement and turned its head to the evening sky). "War against terrorism…"

_Then he turned east. "The east… it smells of war…"_


	5. Shooting Star

**SUPER ROBOT WARS LW  
CHAPTER 04**

**Please see**: all characters in this story will be referred to with their first name preceding their family names, as to follow Western naming style.

-x-x-x-x-x-

_// Shadow Mirror Universe, 5000 feet over Bermuda //_

The pink-coloured Astelion AX was outmanoeuvring the pursuing Gespenst formation. Its pilot was fighting very hard to outrun the relentless pursuers, while trying not to lose control of the Astelion. The custom-built Armoured Module zipped around the clear sky, trying to make the pursuers lost track of it, but it was to no avail as the Gespensts had it surrounded. The Astelion pilot fired smokescreens and made a quick escape.

_"Get her! We must not let her run away!"_

The Gespensts continued pursuing. One of the Personal Troopers fired its cannon at the Astelion AX and its pilot screamed in dismay as she brought it into a tight loop. "Stop chasing me around! You aren't my fanatical fans, are you?" Shadow-Mirror Idol Ibis Douglas yelled and brought the Astelion AX back in its flight path.

The Gespensts continued chasing after Ibis, firing all their loads at her and commanding each other to block the Astelion AX's path. Ibis panicked and tried bringing her Armoured Module into a high-speed run but slowed down after one of the Gespensts shot its Tesla engine.

_"We have you cornered, Shooting Star Ibis,"_ the Gespenst pilots spoke and surrounded the Astelion AX. _"Surrender yourself and don't do anything stupid, or we'll shoot you down."_

"I have nothing to do with your business!" Ibis yelled.

_"Why yes we are,"_ one of the Gespenst pilots said and pointed the M950 machinegun at the Astelion AX. _"Just stay still, so that we can demand for ransom from your family. What do you say?"_

An Ashsaber came out of nowhere and cut the M950 with a laser blade. It later kicked the Gespenst into the sea and cut the rest of the Gespensts' machineguns with the blade. Ibis was delighted at what she saw. "Ivan!"

"Meister Ibis!" Ivan shouted and took out the Halberd Launcher. "Stay close with me."

"Okay!"

The Ashsaber deployed the Sword Breakers and commanded them to form barricades around it and the Astelion AX. The Gespensts were blocked from their intended target, and the Ashsaber took the opportunity to fire its Halberd Launcher at the PTs, managing to shoot several them into the sea.

"What the hell are you doing? Back off! This is between us and the Shooting Star!" the Gespenst pilot screamed, their attacks failed to even leave a scratch on the Ashsaber.

"I cannot comply," Ivan replied in calm manners. "I only take orders from Meister Ibis. I suggest you to leave her alone."

The Gespenst pilots were pissed. "Then we'll have to kill you as well!" they shouted and pounced at the Ashsaber en masse. Ivan closed his eyes, not taking care of Ibis' distressed cries at his deliberate lack of awareness.

He opened his eyes. "Sword Breaker, GO!"

The Sword Breakers attacked the Gespensts. It took only a little more than 30 seconds before the Gespensts were destroyed and fell into the sea. The Sword Breakers returned to their mother host, and the Ashsaber put the Halberd Launcher back on its waist clip.

"Are you alright, Meister Ibis?" Ivan asked.

Ibis took a very deep breath of relief. "Thank you for saving me, Ivan."

"This is the fifth time you ran into the kidnappers," Ivan said and led the two mechas as they descended to Bermuda. "I can't forever keep saving you from those people. What do you really want to be? A damsel in distress?"

"But Ivan, I just wanted to fly around with this Astelion!" Ibis protested. "And don't ever call me that! I don't like it…"

Ivan chuckled. "Don't get so mad easily. I won't make you grounded."

"Promise?" Ibis mumbled.

Ivan grinned at the girl's pouting face that was displayed on the Ashsaber's video screen. "I promise."

Both their units' alarm set off. Ibis was startled to the point she accidentally pressed the ejection button. Ivan remained cool as he analyzed the alarm, not listening to Ibis' distressed call as she tried keeping the Astelion AX on course.

He snapped. "It doesn't come from the enemy!"

It was too late.

A portal mysteriously appeared over the water and sucked the Ashsaber and the Astelion AX into a wormhole. "I think this is how the people felt when they disappeared over the triangle!" Ibis cried out.

Ivan brought the Ashsaber close to Ibis. "Stay close to me!" The force of the wormhole's vortex started separating him from Ibis, and Ivan kicked in the boosters to approach Ibis with great difficulties. "Meister Ibis!"

"Ivan, save me!" The vortex pulled the Astelion AX from the Ashsaber, and Ibis was crying in distress, calling out Ivan's name before the Armoured Module disappeared. Ivan tried tracking the Astelion AX but interferences from the vortex's electromagnetic field prevented him from doing anything.

The wormhole finally tossed the Ashsaber into the open world. Ivan staggered, having temporarily lost his sense of direction before he regained control of the Ashsaber and brought it onto a safe land. "This is not the place," he spoke, referring to the Shadow-Mirror dimension, and glanced at the map. "Wait. It says _"El Alamein"_. This means I'm still on Earth. But-"

The sand burst. Ivan quickly brought the Ashsaber out of range and saw several Barrelions and Doms approaching his location. Without warning the newcomers opened fire, and the Ashsaber dodged all the attacks. "Oh, great," he murmured. "My presence is not welcomed here."

One of the Doms charged at Ivan. The Ashsaber nimbly evaded the heat sabre and fired a burst of the Rapier Gun onto the Dom's torso. The Ashsaber used the crippled Dom as shield when a Barrelion fired its cannon, counterattacking with its Burning Daggers to keep the attackers at bay.

"Looking forward to play with me, huh?" The Ashsaber discarded the Dom and withdrew its Halberd Launcher, in time when another Dom charged at the mecha. The Ashsaber fired a shot that knocked the Dom's bazooka off its shoulder, and fired another double shot at the Dom on the chest. The Ashsaber jumped over the desert and fired multiple shots from the Halberd Launcher.

One Dom somehow dodged the Halberd Launcher's shot and fired its bazooka at the Ashsaber. The Ashsaber was knocked out of the air and crashed on the sand, its Sword Breakers launcher damaged after taking a direct hit of the 880mm rocket. "I had underestimated the enemy," Ivan mumbled. "Chances are they will regroup and return to give me double the pain." He managed to get the Ashsaber into its standing position and saw the Doms approaching him instead. "They aren't ordinary enemies. They aren't in the database. Who are they?"

_"Ashsaber, we'll take it from here."_

Ivan was not sure of what he was hearing, but as soon as he looked at one of the video screens he saw a red-painted Gundam with a Mobile Suit-sized katana and an Astelion AX coming at his direction. At first he thought it was Ibis but later discarded the thought when he realized the Astelion AX was painted in white rather than pink.

_"Lowe-san, try keeping the terrorists as far from the Ashsaber as possible,"_ Ivan heard a voice he recognized so much. He was startled; the voice belonged to Tsugumi! _"We'll bring it out of this place,"_ the voice continued.

The owner of the red Gundam laughed. _"Don't worry about me, Tsugumi, Ibis,"_ Lowe Guele answered and withdrew Gerbera Straight from its scabbard. _"There's nothing this Astray Red cannot cut!"_

The Astray Red Frame charged at the Doms, while the Astelion AX provided cover with saturation missiles. Ivan merely watched as the two mechas coordinated their attacks and swept the battlefield with their supreme firepower, giving the grunts no space for returning fire.

_"Pilot of Ashsaber, can you hear us?"_

It was Tsugumi, Ivan thought. Not wanting them to be aware of his doubt he answered the radio call. "This is Lucky 13. My unit is badly damaged. Requesting immediate backup," he spoke, using his call sign instead of his name as identification.

_"Roger, Lucky 13,"_ Tsugumi answered. _"Can you still move your robot?"_

"The Sword Breakers' launcher is damaged," Ivan answered. "But I think I can still move it-" The alarm buzzed again, and Ivan saw a Dom emerging from beneath the sand and pouncing at the Astelion AX. "Crap! She doesn't see it coming! Sword Breaker, GO!" The Sword Breakers detached and attacked the Dom, but it left the Ashsaber vulnerable and now it was a sitting duck for the grunts.

_"HIYARGH!!"_

The Astray Red Frame sliced the Dom that was attacking the Ashsaber. It was a close call, and Ivan was temporarily dazed after the Astray Red Frame's landing shook the ground. "That was a close call," he murmured.

_"Lucky 13, we'll escort you away from the terrorist cell,"_ Ibis spoke. _"Please follow us closely."_

Ivan was hesitant. The Shadow-Mirror's rules of engagement stated that a pilot should execute Code: ATA if he could not survive the battle and avoid the enemy from retrieving all vital information of his operation. Yet his inner self was telling him he should put his trust on this _Ibis_ and _Tsugumi_.

_"Lucky 13? Are you there?"_

Ivan shrugged the thought. _"This is Lucky 13,"_ he replied. "I am in the middle of my mission but I am separated from my group. Requesting permission to use your base's communication link."

_"Roger, Lucky 13,"_ Tsugumi replied.

Ivan set the Ashsaber to follow the Astelion AX but he again saw a Dom jumping towards the Astelion AX. "I thought the threat has been eliminated!" Without even knowing what he was doing, Ivan brought the mecha directly between the Astelion AX and the Dom. He fired a shot from the Rapier Gun, but it did not stop the Dom from slashing the Ashsaber's left right with the heat sabre.

"I cannot die here! Meister Ibis is waiting for me!"

The Ashsaber caught the heat sabre and plunged it into the Dom's torso. Ivan twisted the controller, and the Ashsaber performed a series of hack and slash that turned the Dom into debris. The irregular manoeuvre caused the Ashsaber to overload and it shut down before it fell onto one knee.

_"Lucky 13! Are you alright?"_

Ivan shrugged. "Somehow," he murmured and opened the cockpit. The smell of desert was immediately apparent, and he had to cover his mouth when a speck of dust entered the cockpit. "This isn't the kind of day I am supposed to spend," he sighed.

The Astelion AX landed. Its pilots ran towards the damaged Ashsaber and called Ivan out loud. "Are you alright, Lucky 13?" Tsugumi asked.

Ivan could only wave his hand at the two women. "Don't worry."

-x-x-x-x-x-

_// Kowloon Island //_

Ibis moaned in dismay.

As if getting separated from Ivan was not enough, her customized Astelion was damaged during the re-entry and crashed on the coastline. And now she was stranded in the middle of nowhere, facing the East China Sea without anyone in sight. "Now what am I supposed to do? I'm separated from Ivan, and now I am stranded in this… NO-MAN'S LAND!"

Ibis turned around and saw two people walking towards her. "I have to ask them for direction," she told herself and approached them. The moment she came close to them, she realized one of them was wearing black tuxedo and black hat. "You look interesting. What's your name?"

The tuxedo man looked down her. "I… I'm Van."

Forgetting her original plan, Ibis giggled and pointed to Van's face. "I like that name. And because of that boring-looking face, I shall call you Van the Slacker!" she said.

"Van… the Slacker?" Van murmured.

"Hey! Just who are you calling Van with that name?" the pony-tailed girl who was standing next to Van demanded.

"I think I should introduce myself." The seemingly cheerful girl stood up, spun on her feet and threw a wink to Wendy. "I'm Ibis Douglas, but you can call me Ibis the Shooting Star."

"Hmm… pleased to meet you, Ibis," Van replied.

Ibis was dissatisfied with the answer. "You should call me Ibis the Shooting Star, not just Ibis," she reminded. "Say this after me: Ibis the Shooting Star!"

Van shrugged. "Oh, alright, Ibis the Shooting Star."

The trio heard a noise from up the sky. They looked up and saw a group of Gespensts approaching the island. Ibis was shocked, because the newcomers reminded her of the kidnappers who had piloted the Gespensts during the escape. "Van, protect me!" she cried and jumped onto his body. "You must protect me from the grunts!"

"What… am I supposed to do?" Van asked and scratched the back of his head.

"What else? Kick and send them to pieces!" Ibis replied and clenched her hands on the flamboyant tuxedo coat. (Wendy shivered in jealousy at the deliberately flirtatious act.) "Please! They want to kidnap me for money! They know I'm a superstar! That's why I have to run away!"

"Just… what does she think she's doing?" Wendy asked in anger.

"Uh… I don't get you," Van murmured and looked up at the Gespensts. "Though… they're quite different from Armours I usually encounter."

"I've got an idea!" Ibis parted away from Van, coughed a couple of times and pointed to Van's slack face. "Until I can get my Astelion repaired and return to my home, I shall appoint you as my personal bodyguard, and I shall pay you as much as you ask! Do we have a deal, Van the Slacker?"

Wendy glowered at Ibis. "Is she trying to buy Van off? What does she think she is?" she growled.

"Well?"

Van sighed. "Oh, well." He turned to the arriving Gespensts. "But you must buy me food after this. I haven't eaten since… two days."

"Okay!" Ibis replied with a thumb's up. "And that means I shall buy you lunch as well," she said and glanced to Wendy. "Is that alright, Miss…"

"Wendy," Wendy replied.

"Let's see…" Van turned his cowboy cap 180-degree and made a V sign before him with his liquid memory metal sword. A dramatic-sounding music suddenly took place, and everybody looked up to see a gigantic sword descending from the sky to transform into an extremely human-looking mecha. Van jumped into the mecha, entered the cockpit and plunged the sword into the floor.

"Go for it, Van the Slacker!" Shooting Star Ibis cheered.

The mecha turned around to face the oncoming Gespensts. Slowly it withdrew its double sword and opened a battle stance.

_Van grinned. "Wake up, Dann."_


	6. Gathering

**SUPER ROBOT WARS LW  
CHAPTER 05**

**Please see**: all characters in this story will be referred to with their first name preceding their family names, as to follow Western naming style.

In this chapter, I assume that Lamia survived in the bonus segment of Super Robot Wars Original Generations and was recovered.

-x-x-x-x-x-

_// ward, Seto Inland Sea Facility //_

"How is she doing?"

"Apart from extreme fatigue, she suffers no major injuries."

"Thank goodness. I thought she wouldn't make it."

"Rest assured, Excellen-_san_. She will be alright."

"Thanks for the help, Kusuha."

"No problem. I'm glad to be of help."

The blue-haired girl excused herself to help the nurse attending Sakura at the ward. Excellen and Kyosuke were left outside, thinking of the hectic day they had gone through. "I don't get it," Excellen spoke. "If the Green Sphere really intends to threaten the world's peace, then why attacking the facility?"

"They wanted to steal the prototype. That's what Frieda said to us," Kyosuke answered and could only sigh when he noticed the cumbersome look on Excellen's face. "Something bugging you?"

"I don't know, but the girl's screams kept ringing inside my head," she answered. "It was like she had something to protect. Something… very precious to her." She stooped her head. "You do know she was very angry when the terrorists attacked the town, don't you?"

_(The Alt Eisen Riese and the Weiss Ritter made haste towards the Sylvia. "Unknown robot, allow us to assist!" Kyosuke spoke._

_The caped mecha had kicked the impaled Guarlion into the ground when it confronted another group of Lion-Fs. "I don't care!" Sakura screamed and fired a barrage of Raging Heart at the robots. "Just don't let them destroy my hometown!"_)

"Cheer up, will you?" Kyosuke said. "Excellen I know wouldn't go slum over small matters."

Excellen chuckled. "I guess you're right." She later peeked from behind the door and saw Sakura waking up from her vegetative state after taking a little sip of Kusuha's health drink. A twisted smile emerged upon her face. "Ah, crap."

"This is delicious!"

Excellen was surprised. "What's this?"

Sakura finished the remaining health drink in one big gulp. "I feel so refreshed!" she said.

"Please enjoy it," Kusuha said and poured more of the 'beverage from hell' into the glass Sakura was holding. "I have more of them if you like it."

"This is the best day in my whole life!" Sakura exclaimed._"Ittadakimasu!"_

Excellen quickly hid behind the door, sweats profusely dropping off her face. "This isn't good. She actually likes that drink," she murmured. Kyosuke took no attention to her rant and left the ward. "Kyosuke, where are you headed to?"

"To the hangar," he replied. "I need to do some check-ups on Alt Eisen."

"Hey, wait up!"

-x-x-x-x-x-

"_Ore wo dare datto omotte yagaru!!"_ **Who the hell do you think I am?!**

So saying Kamina pointed skywards (or rather, ceiling-ward) as he pompously displayed his trademark pose. "I am the leader of the Great Gurren Brigade, silencer of the crying children! The drill that pierces through the heavens above!! I am Kamina!!"

The news of terrorist attack on the facility prompted Team ATX and the Kurogane to leave Hokkaido in a rush, and they were in for surprise to know the Green Sphere grunts were kicked to curbs by the Great Gurren Brigade who happened to be at the scene when test pilot Nagasumi was under attack. Sensing the great potential of cooperation that lay ahead (added with the fact that Kamina had _personally_ 'persuaded' them to join the Great Gurren Brigade) Rätsel accepted the offer made by the Spiral visitors to join force in combating the terrorists.

And the hangar was erupting in tears of hot-blooded approval as Kyosuke and Excellen arrived. "Well, look at that," Excellen spoke. "Getting all pumped by those fiery speeches. That's something we don't get to see, right Kyosuke?"

"For this once, I have to agree," Kyosuke replied with a faint grin. Excellen squealed at the frank answer and tightly squeezed his arm as she seized it. "Cool down. It's not that I made a nationwide announcement."

"But you looked so cool in that faint smile!" Excellen replied and tightened the squeeze. "Can you do it again, Kyosuke? Can you?"

The 'heaven-transcending' speech continued. Kamina's fiery words received not only approving roars from his Great Gurren Brigade comrades but also deafening applauds from the Kurogane crews. Touma, especially, was the most enthusiastic and continually cheered for the great Aniki, crying hot-blooded tears along the way. Occasionally Kamina would point to each of the people to "believe in me who believe in you" and further ignite their burning spirit with his charisma.

"Aniki!" one of the audiences asked. "How and where did you get that mecha?"

"You mean Gurren Lagann?" Kamina replied. "Are you kidding me? Who do you think I am?!" He pointed upward again and sported a very confident grin. "That! It has to be that!"

"That? What do you mean by that?" the audience asked.

Kamina grinned big. _"Sore wa… GATTAI DA!"_ **That is… UNIFICATION!**

The audience gaped. "Gattai?"

Touma, Nagasumi and Irmgult were startled. "Gattai?"

The rest of the people said in unison: "Gattai?"

The females blushed at the thought of 'unification'. "Gattai…"

Leeron sighed. "Here we go again."

"That's right!" Kamina hollered. "Unification is when two fighting spirits are combined as one! There is no unification without fighting spirits! When two souls unite, we can achieve the perfect unification! This is the principle behind Gurren Lagann!"

"Aniki you rock!" Touma cheered, now unable to keep his tears from flowing. The rest of the audience agreed and cheered Kamina in unison.

Excellen and Kyosuke could only watch from a safe distance before they decided to leave their units for later maintenance. They were about to leave when they stumbled across Lamia Loveless. "Major Sanger and Rätsel would like to see you at the bow," the W-Number informed. "The Pistoleros and Amuro are already with them. Mr. Gilliam is also there."

"Looks like we have a very important matter to talk to," Excellen pondered. "Come on, Kyosuke! I bet Rätsel has prepared hot teas for us."

Team ATX left the hanger and its occupants to Kamina, who didn't show any sign of stopping his speech. "Now say this after me, Kyoudai!" he shouted. _"Oretachi wo…"_

"_DARE DATTO OMOTTE YAGARU!!!"_ the people replied.

-x-x-

Rätsel and Sanger were having dessert and tea with the Pistoleros, Amuro and Gilliam when Team ATX arrived. Joining the company were Brooklyn and Yoko, the latter deciding to leave Kamina and his antics behind. It was as if the meeting was planned as a reunion of sorts rather than on-the-spot discussion on the global war on terror.

Indeed, it was. Especially since Rätsel and Frieda could not stop talking on their favourite topic: horse.

"I'm truly sorry for the loss," Frieda said and sipped the tea served by Irui. "I'm certain my El Dorado will be very sad to know her closest friend had passed away."

"Thank you for the thought, Frieda," Rätsel replied. "So I heard you're chosen as test pilot for the new Metal Gunslinger Series after you left the DC. Congratulations."

"Why, thank you, my old DC friend," Frieda replied with a giggle. "I owed Dr. Zoldark for selecting me and Takeru for the prototype testing. Truth to be told, I was not sure if we could ever make it."

"Ah, do not worry. With the superior marksmanship skills of yours, you wouldn't be called the Silent Bullet for nothing," Rätsel said.

"You and Rätsel seem to know each other very well, Major Johansen," Amuro spoke.

"Oh, no. Please don't be too formal, Amuro," Frieda replied. "Just call me Frieda. It's easier."

"After the Divine War, we separated to our own path. Frieda was absorbed into the Centaur-Hanagami Heavy Industries and became the leading test pilot for the MGS units," Rätsel continued. "Although I'm wondering of how the Centaur-Hanagami managed to keep its existence entirely out of the Neo DC's reach since it used to receive financial aid from Dr. Bian."

"They're the one who developed the caped mecha, right?" Kyosuke asked as Team ATX took their seat.

Frieda nodded. "It's one of the new super robot line-up. Dr. Zoldark's vision was to have the sister mecha to complement the Dynamic General Guardians. He knew he wouldn't be able to see them in action, so he entrusted his old friend Professor Franklin to supervise the development of the series."

"That sounds cool," Excellen cooed. "But why would the terrorists attack the facility in the first place?"

"We're instructed not to reveal the details," Frieda spoke. "But I can say here that the Sylvia serves as a test-bed for this new technology we discovered two years ago. Professor Franklin claims it to be more superior to the Extra-Over Technology."

"We can discuss about it alter if we can meet the chief director of the project," Gilliam spoke. "But first thing first: Spiral?"

Everybody turned to Yoko. Realizing she needed to say something, the red-haired female sniper quickly apologized for the stirrup her colleagues had caused. "Truth to be told, it happened too fast for anyone of us to even act. Were preparing for our battle with the Beast General Thymilph when we stumbled across this weird-looking gate. Leeron and Rossiu examined it and discovered it served as a kind of portal. We were going to activate it when we were attacked by the Beastmen, and before we knew it the portal opened and sucked everybody in." Yoko paused and took her time finishing her tea. "We got separated inside portal, but thank goodness we were alright after we're sent to this world. We didn't know what happened to the Beastmen, though."

Excellen grumbled. "What's up with the world today? First it's the terrorists. Then it's the Beastmen. Aren't we getting tired of war already?"

"Ms. Excellen, that's because human will always find a way to fight each other," Lamia spoke, and blinked when Excellen gave her a teasing smile. "Is there anything wrong on my face, Ms. Excellen?"

"You look awfully adorable when you gave me that kind of look," Excellen giggled.

"I don't understand what you're talking of," Lamia replied.

"This means we have to be extra careful," Gilliam spoke. "If we can believe the credibility of Yoko's words, then this world will be plunged into another invasion. We have to take precarious steps to prevent this crisis from spreading."

"And speaking of which, how's the patient doing, Bullet?" Sanger finally spoke after a long time of keeping his mouth shut.

"Kusuha said she should be allowed to leave tomorrow," Brooklyn answered. "But Major, are you sure we have to recruit her into the EFA? She's only a civilian."

"And Ryusei and Touma also civilians were also civilians, weren't they?" Lamia asked.

"I understand your sentiment, Bullet, but obviously you weren't there when it happened," Excellen said. "A normal girl would face extreme difficulty piloting a mecha that size, but she handled it like she had been familiar with robot before. Besides, she was very angry when the terrorists destroyed the shopping mall."

"Since the terrorists will target her as well, it's best that we keep her under the EFA's surveillance," Amuro spoke. "Or better, if she's assigned to Frieda's team. I can only hope her parents won't object the decision."

"I can assure you the Centaur-Hanagami will take care of this matter," Frieda answered and turned to Takeru. She noticed how long he was looking at Excellen and Kyosuke ever since they came. "What's the matter, Takeru?"

"I've been wondering," Takeru said. "Are Ms. Excellen and Mr. Kyosuke married?" The blatant question caused Kyosuke to suddenly choke the tea and Excellen to furiously blush. All but Sanger and Lamia laughed at the brutally straightforward question, much to the duo's chagrin. Takeru blinked at the response he was getting. "Did I… ask the wrong question?"

-x-x-x-x-x-

_// later that midnight //_

The night was quiet.

With the exception of nightshift workers and guards, everybody at the facility and onboard the Kurogane was fast asleep in their sleeping rooms (with the exception of the Great Gurren Brigade that chose to camp outside at the beach). Tired after spending half of the night with parties and speeches that transcended the heavens, they fell asleep with a very little idea of what would face them when the dawn broke itself free.

Only Rätsel and Sanger did not sleep.

They were standing on the bow of the Kurogane, gazing into the stars that were sparkling above the inland sea. Irui were fast asleep in her cabin, accompanied by Kusuha, leaving the Sword that Cleaved Evil to his privacy.

"I know you're thinking of taking the girl as your apprentice," Sanger spoke.

The Mysterious Gourmet grinned. "You never fail to amaze me with your deep sense of perception, my friend," he replied and sipped the coffee. He took his time observing the coastline, where the sight of the Gurren and the Lagann dominated the landscape.

"What will be your plan?" Sanger continued asking.

"First thing first," Rätsel spoke. "I'll teach her the way of the gourmet."

"The way of the gourmet, huh? Very well." He turned around, headed to the door and left the Gourmet with his future plans. "I'll see you tomorrow morning. Good night," he spoke before he entered the battleship. Rätsel continued drinking the hot coffee from the can before he discarded it and looked up into the night sky.

"Trombe…"

The midnight wind blew. Instantly the fur collar flapped, although it did nothing to make Rätsel bulge from his place.

_He grinned. "Tomorrow, huh?"_


	7. SEED vs Linked Core

**SUPER ROBOT WARS LW  
CHAPTER 06**

**Please see:** all characters in this story will be referred to with their first name preceding their family names, as to follow Western naming style.

The trio looked at the recipients in wonder. So did Lacus, Murrue, Kira and Athrun. The cafeteria (where Van, Wendy and Ibis) were placed at after they were onboard the Archangel was soo packed with crews and pilots as the news of the "strange group" reached their knowledge. It was not just the presence of the Armour that piqued their interest, it was Ibis' role as a singing idol in the Shadow-Mirror Universe, miraging that of Lacus'. "So," Ibis spoke as to start the conversation between the two groups. "What should we talk of? Perhaps a bit of introduction would work. What do you say?" Van lifted his hand. "Yes, Mister Van! What is your question?" 

"Can we eat?" blatantly he asked.

"Van! Where has your manner gone to?" Wendy grumbled. "You only want to eat! What's wrong with you?"

"Huh? I thought she promised to buy us free meal," Van answered.

Ibis giggled. "If that is the case," she said and called up one of the kitchen workers. "Bring us anything delicious!"

Wendy sulked. "Weirdo…" she growled, and was instantly pulled into a playful choke as Ibis seized her neck and rubbed her cheek against hers. "Stop it! What is that for?!"

"Aw! You're so cute when you make that angry face," Ibis replied and tightened the embrace. "You're! So! Incredibly! Cute!!!"

Murrue, Lacus, Kira and Athrun looked at one another. "Are you sure it's safe to bring them here?" Athrun asked.

"They don't look hostile to me," Lacus spoke.

"But I'm more concerned of the tuxedo man's capability," Athrun continued. "The way he fought those Personal Troopers was very humanlike. Even that robot… whatever that is."

"Hey! All of you! Look at the TV!!"

Everybody looked up at the cafeteria TV. What greeted them was not pleasing, and the only reaction on the breaking news was "What in the world?" as asked by Murrue (except for Van, as he was served with the said meal afterwards). The reasons: live footages of Doms and Lion-Fs attacking Pearl Harbour and everyone watched in shock as the Earth Federation Alliance's Pacific Headquarters was under fire.

"Captain! We have been ordered to divert to Hawaii!"

"Alright, then! Bring Archangel to full speed! Everybody get back to battle stations!" Almost in an instant all crews returned to their positions as the Archangel made a detour from their South-East Asia trip. "We may not be able to get there in time! Kira, Athrun, both of you go ahead of us! We'll follow you behind!"

"Understood!" Kira and Athrun rushed to the launching platform and took off less than a minute later in Strike Freedom and Infinite Justice.

"Aw! When I thought I could buy everyone free lunches," Ibis grumbled.

"We're very sorry for the complication," Lacus apologized. "But we're in the middle of a war."

"I don't really get what's happening," Van said and continued mixing the sauces. "But I suppose we're having some big problem here."

"Van! Aren't you going to help them?" Wendy asked; Van's only answer was to yell in excitement after he ate the mixture of flavours. "Van! Are you even listening?"

"Yeah! You can show them those kickass moves!" Ibis continued and proceeded to throw some kicks and punches. "That mecha did THIS and THAT to those Gespensts! That was awesome!"

"Van, you really don't care of anything, do you?" Wendy grumbled.

"Just let me finish my meal first," Van answered.

_-x-x-x-x-x-_

_// Pearl Harbour //_

"DORYAA!!"

The green-painted Personal Trooper snatched the attacking Guarlion and slammed it onto the tarmac in a judo-like throw. Leaving the crippled Armoured Module behind, Kai Kitamura and his squad of Huckebein Mark 2Ms continued breaking through the Green Sphere's line to reach the Pacific HQ. They had been called to assist the remaining EFA defenders against the invasion following the ambush, and it was situation critical: with EFA bases around the world attacked (and some captured) the Green Sphere was seemingly trying to throw oil into the fire in a global scale.

"What do they really want from this act of terror?" he asked and dodged a Dom's heat sabre. "You can't beat me with that!" The Gespenst Mark 2M Custom punched the Dom's head and kicked the MS into a burning hangar. "Team Aegis! Split up and head to the dock! The rest of you follow me!"

_"Yes sir!"_

The breakthrough continued. With Team Aegis heading to the dry dock, Kai and the remaining Huckebeins made their way to the HQ, currently bombarded by Barrelions and Guntanks. "The Aggressor is here!" one of the GS grunts shouted. "Don't let him approach the building!" Immediately five Doms charged at the lone Gespenst and opened fire.

"Who do you think I am!?" The Gespenst dodged and counterattacked with split missiles that knocked the Doms' rocket launchers. The Gespenst pounced at one of them, caught it on the upper body and tossed it to an unsuspecting Barrelion. The other Doms attacked, only to be easily repelled by Plasma Bucklers.

"Eat this!!!" The Gespenst delivered a "half-an-inch" punch that sent the Doms flying out of its way. Kai reset the Gespenst and signalled at the Huckebeins to attack the Barrelions, while he himself attacked the Guntanks.

_"Sir! Enemy reinforcements are approaching five clicks to the southwest!"_

"They really want to capture this base; its location is strategic to launch attacks to the American mainland," Kai pondered. "Like what they had tried to do at Shirokaze Town. Aegis 1, can we contact the HQ yet?"

"Negative, sir. We don't have their radio signal."

"All units regroup!" The moments all the Real Troopers regrouped, the sky was dotted with mechas flying towards Pearl Harbour. Kai wasted no time and ordered the soldiers to form a barrier line between the HQ and the invaders. "Where did they get the financial resources to construct robots that many?" Kai asked. "Fire only when you have targets on sight! Don't waste your ammos on one enemy! Got it?"

_"Roger!"_

The defenders waited, and they were about to open fire when an unknown transmission came in. _"Archangel to Pacific HQ. Archangel to Pacific HQ. Do you read?"_

"About damn time," Kai snorted. "This is Aggressor 1! Send in reinforcements, and fast! They're already coming!"

_"Aggressor 1, reinforcements are on the way. Please hold on a bit longer."_

In a sudden the horde split into smaller skirmishes. The reinforcements had indeed arrived: it was the white- and maroon-painted advanced assault mobile suits, and they were wercking havocs to the Green Sphere upon arrival.

_"Strike Freedom, ikimasu!"_

_"Infinite Justice, ikuzo!"_

Strike Freedom fired all its Super DRAGOON Launchers, and at once half of the grunts were shot down. Infinite Justice was next and dashed through the enemy, slicing every mecha it came across with beam sabre. The enemy was at disarray as the duo hacked and slashed without giving them any space to retaliate.

_"Sir! The enemy is breaking through!"_

"This is it! All units fire at will!" The Real Troopers fired their payloads at the enemy, while Kai himself took his green Gespenst towards the invaders. One Guarlion braved itself confronting Kai, only to be beaten by the almighty Personal Trooper's superior Jet Phantom. The Gespenst dodged a railgun fired by another Guarlion and returned the attack twice as much with Plasma Bucklers.

_"Sir! Behind you!"_

Three Guarlions pounced at the Gespenst, too fast for Kai to react. Strike Freedom immediately rushed in and sliced the Guarlions' propulsion system with surgical precision. "Are you alright?" Kira asked.

"I'm fine. Thanks for saving me."

"Kira, the enemy is regrouping!" Athrun shouted.

"Got it!" Kira brought Strike Freedom to the front and prepared the Super DRAGOON Launchers, but to his, Kai and Athrun's surprise, the enemy suddenly retreated. "The enemy is retreating!"

"They know they won't stand a chance against us," Athrun said. He was later dumbfounded when a black Space Noah-class space battleship emerged from the sea at where the enemy had retreated. "What the hell? It came out just like that!"

"That ship looks like the Hagane! But Tetsuya didn't inform us he'd come by," Kai uttered.

"I don't have the ship on radar," Kira reported. "It must be using jammers to conceal its presence."

"The grunts were for distraction while the real player is hiding from us," Athrun grumbled. "So that's how their game is."

Amidst the new confusion, Kai spotted a Huckebein taking a kneeling position on the Space Noah's hull, and immediately recognized the Real Trooper from the red scarf on its neck. "Be careful! It's that Huckebein!"

"That Huckebein?"

The Huckebein leapt off the Space Noah. It flew past the Gespenst, Strike Freedom and Infinite Justice, and headed towards the HQ. Strike Freedom and Infinite Justice chased after the Huckebein, and Kai was about to do the same when a Schwert Gewehr obstructed his way.

_"I wouldn't go there if I were you, Major."_

Kai turned around. It was a Sword Strike Gundam, and it was holding the anti-ship sword close to the Gespenst's neck. "You're from the Green Sphere, aren't you?"

_"To be more precise, I'm one of the high-ranked commander," _the Mobile Suit pilot replied. _"Let's make a landfall. We don't want our flight modulators to overheat, do we?"_

_-x-x-x-x-x-_

The last of the Huckebein Mark 2Ms had fallen. Alicia stood victorious, its red scarf flapping freely with the sea breeze. Margaret took a deep breath; her task in destroying the Pacific Divisions' Real Troopers was a success, and she was waiting for Alicia to reset as it analyzed its post-combat performance.

"Alicia, battle report."

_"(Success rate is 99.99 percent. No major damage is sustained.)"_

"Thank you, Alicia." Margaret fell into silence; again, she never found the satiscaftory she had craved for from the mission. The mass-produced Huckebeins, like all the RTs and PTs and MSs she had dealt with, offered very light resistance, and she was in the need for something more challenging.

_"(Sir, two Mobile Suits approaching at 3 o'clock.)"_

As soon as Margaret looked at the direction, Infinite Justice fired its beam rifle at Alicia. It hit, but the Huckebein Mark 3 was unscathed. "It's them; the White Terror and the Maroon Knight."

Strike Freedom and Infinite Justice cornered Alicia. "Please lay down your weapons. We don't want to hurt you."

"You think you can trick us by sending those grunts as distractions? We won't be fooled again!" Athrun barked. "Surrender yourself!"

_"(Sir?)"_

Margaret closed her eyes. "I know. Let's go."

_"(Yes, sir. Accessing Combat Form Mode R.)"_

Alicia crossed its arms. In one continuous stream, multi-trace missiles were released from their pods and chased after their targets. Strike Freedom and Infinite Justice had to outmanoeuvre the micro-missiles, and more of them as they were fired at them. Alicia threw the Fang Slasher at Infinite Justice and pursued it while the maroon Mobile Suit were dodging all projectiles.

_"(Linked Power Core Synchronization, Execute.)"_

Alicia came face to face with Infinite Justice. Before Athrun (or Kira) could react, a reverse roundhouse kick smashed Infinite Justice's left torso and sent it crashing into a building. "That Huckebein just used a kick?!" the dazed Athrun groaned, shocked by the attack but survived the crash. "Impossible!!"

"Athrun!" Snapped in SEED Mode, the infuriated Kira charged at Alicia and aimed the beam sabre at the black Huckebein. To his dismay, Alicia caught Strike Freedom's hand and disarmed the sabre.

"Is this what the White Terror has to offer?"

Kira was startled. "It's a girl!" In his negligence Strike Freedom's arm was caught, and Alicia tossed it to the bay before it caught back the returning Fang Slasher. Strike Freedom recovered and fired multiple shots from its beam rifle; everything it threw at Alicia, including the Super DRAGOON Launchers, was nimbly dodged due to the Real Trooper's double image.

"She's dodging all attacks like they're made of nothing! What is she?!"

Alicia somersaulted. It hovered over Strike Freedom and, in the blink of an eye, drop-kicked the Mobile Suit into the sea. The kick disengaged, and the stunned Strike Freedom lingered in the blue water before it was caught on the leg and thrown out of the sea. "Damn it! This is not a regular Huckebein!" Kira moaned.

Alicia reappeared and seized Strike Freedom's neck. "I was expecting you to be a bit… more aggressive," Margaret spoke and made Alicia tighten the grip.

"Don't force me!" Strike Freedom kicked Alicia out of the way and fired another burst of Super DRAGOON Launchers; it missed, and the Real Trooper was facing the white Mobile Suit in a stalemate-loke situation. "Who are you? What do you want from us?"

Alicia made a soft land on the beach. "I only want to prove myself a worthy friend," Margaret spoke. "What about you? Do you have a reason to fight this war?"

"I fight to protect those I cherish the most!" Kira replied. Margaret chuckled at the answer, and it agitated Kira. "What's so funny about?"

"It's ironic. Both of us share the same desire, and yet we have to take contradicting paths." Alicia opened stance and was prepared to launch its finishing attack. "I'm sorry, but I must eradicate you as well. You're standing in my way."

**"SEKIHA!!! TENKYOOOOOKEEEEEEEEEEEN!!!!!"**

The gigantic fireball shot across the coastline towards Alicia. Margaret saw it coming but it was dangerously close she had to take the attack head-on. The energy ball hit, and Alicia was pushed far across the beach; it would have been destroyed had it not used Gravity Wall to absorb the attack.

"Alicia! Are you alright?"

_"(I am alright, sir.)"_

"Who could do this to you, Alicia?"

"Black Huckebein!" loudly Domon bellowed, as the God Gundam posed on a radar mast in its prowess as the King of Heart. "Your reign of terror shall end here!!!"

_"Queen Regent to Viper 1 and 2! The enemy has regained strength! Retreat!"_

"What about the headquarters? We still have to destroy it," Margaret insisted.

_"We can't afford to lose elite units! Viper 2, retreat! This is an order!"_

_"Margaret, it would be wise to listen to Captain Kidd's advice,"_ the Sword Strike Gundam pilot said and lowered the Schwert Gewehr before it turned back at the Space Noah. _"Besides, it would be foolish if we continue our operation when the enemy becomes stronger, wouldn't it Major?"_

"Who the hell are you? How did you know about me?" Kai demanded

_"You can call me Yukimura. Until we meet again."_

Margaret looked back and forth between Strike Freedom and the God Gundam. "When I thought I could finish this… White Terror, tell me your name."

"Kira Yamato," Kira replied.

"I'm Margaret. It is a shame we must… postpone our introduction," Margaret spoke. "Alicia. The enemy is not what we were expected to fight. We're retreating."

_"(Yes, sir.)"_

Margaret paused. She switched on the Real Trooper's speakers. "Kira Yamato. I suggest you move away."

"Right away!"

Alicia fired off another barrage of Multi-Trace Missiles. Strike Freedom (and the God Gundam) veered away in defensive manoeuvres. Margaret had her Huckebein leap straight into the air. Plunged downwards at terrific speed, her good foot extended.

"Heavenly Rider Kick!"

-x-x-

_"Domon, we've lost track of the enemy!"_

"Using the explosion of dirt to mask her retreat? Good strategy," Kai pondered.

"She used the drop kick to cover her escape…" Kira spoke as the dust finally settled in. "That girl… who or what is she?"

"Damn it. The black Huckebein escaped," Domon cursed.

What was left of the task force regrouped. Domon explained to Kai and Kira he had long pursued the black Huckebein for what it had done to his Shuffle Alliance colleagues during a past confrontation, and stated the role of the Green Sphere behind the unique Real Trooper and its pilot's rank as one of the Heavenly Lord Generals.

"So you're telling me she's working for the terrorists?" Kira asked. "It can't be. She said she wanted to prove herself a worthy friend!"

"She's fighting with the enemy. Therefore she is to be treated as one," Kai spoke.

"I know that, but still… I couldn!t forget what she had said to me," Kira murmured. "Does the Shuffle Alliance know anything about Mar… the Huckebein pilot?"

"Rain is gathering all the information as we speak," Domon replied. "It may take a long time, but we'll eventually know who the Green Sphere really is. For now we can only speculate."

"I hope so…" Kira said. "Because I don't want to fight her again."

_-x-x-x-x-x-_

_// onboard Queen Regent //_

Alicia knelt. She jumped off the cockpit and landed on its palm, battered after taking a direct of the God Gundam's Sekiha Tenkyoken. She was brought down to the floor, where she was immediately greeted by ground crews and personal assistants. "Welcome home, General," one of the people greeted and gave her a towel. "It's good to see you again."

She didn't answer. Instead, she returned to Alicia and rested her hand on the mecha's hand. "I'm sorry for pushing you this far, Alicia," she whispered and softly rubbed its metallic skin. "Don't worry; we'll teach that person a lesson." She later turned around and walked past the ground crews. "I want Alicia's hands to be ready in 24 hours. Do you understand?"

"Yes, General!" they replied with a salute. They watched, as she headed to the Sword Strike Gundam that had returned from its sortie. Everybody around Alicia looked at the young blonde in intrigue and started whispering with each other as she met up with the Mobile Suit's pilot. "General Margaret Testarossa, one of Green Sphere's top aces," one of them commented. "Her skill as a mecha pilot is bested only byher partner General Yukimura."

"Oh, man, I so envy General Yukimura for having a great woman working alongside him," his friend muttered. "I mean, look at her! She's got beautiful hair, she's got nice body, and she's got gorgeous legs."

"Hey, don't forget the skintight suit she sometimes wears in combat," another crew added. All of them stared at Margaret, nodding in approval at their fantasy of their revered general. "Mmm… skintight…" they murmured in awe before the MS pilot gave them a murderous glare and made them return to their work. "Lucky bastard."

Margaret left the hangar and was escorted to her room. "You sure you don't want to attend the post-mission briefing?" Yukimura asked.

"I'm so tired after fighting the EFA soldiers," Margaret said. "But I'm fine. Thanks for the concern." She entered the room, thanking him for the escort, but the privacy she was going to have was slightly disturbed when Yukimura walked in and patted her head. "I've told you I'm alright. Please leave. I need to dress up."

"Obviously, Margaret, you were not," he suggested and proceeded to ruffle her hair. "Let me guess. You've almost beaten the White Terror, right?"

Margaret sulked. "It had nothing to do with my current state," she murmured, and could only gasp as Yukimura pulled her into his arms. "It… it was so close…"

"I know," he spoke and held her in a comforting embrace. "You've done your best."

"I almost had the chance to defeat him when someone interfered," Margaret mumbled and clung onto him. "I almost had victory in my hand and yet…"

"It must be a hard day for you and Alicia, isn't it?" he spoke as he gently cuddled her.

She nodded. "I thought I could prove to her I'm… her worthy friend."

"She understands," he replied and placed soft kisses upon her scalp. "I'm sure she will."

"…yes, Yukimura-_san_…"

Yukimura chuckled at the reply. "How many times I have to remind you not to be too tied up with formality?"

"I'm sorry, Kenji-_san_. I forgot."

"Oh, Margaret. You know you don't have to be shy," he teased and began pinching her cheeks. "Come on. Say it. You know you want to."

Margaret flushed. With great strain, she tried saying the words while the spectacled man continued his playful act until she could no longer take it. "Stop… stop teasing me, Oniichan!!"

Yukimura laughed out. "Gotcha! I knew you'd call me that in the end." Margaret became embarrassed and hid her burning face beneath his arms, murmuring "Oniichan, you moron…" in low voice. "So? Do you have anything else to say, my dear Imotou?"

She nestled herself closer to the comfort of the embrace. "Please hold me a bit longer… Oniichan…"

He smiled. "For you, Margaret, I will do everything for you." He tightened the embrace. "Everything…"

_// to be continued //_


	8. Rise of the New Wing

**SUPER ROBOT WARS LW  
CHAPTER 07**

**Please see**: all characters in this story will be referred to with their first name preceding their family names, as to follow Western naming style.

For record, this chapter takes place roughly at the same time the Green Sphere attacked Pearl Harbour in the previous chapter.

-x-x-x-x-x-

The trip to Alaska was awfully long. Sakura found herself seated without anything useful to do throughout the journey. Her pet ferret Yuuno was sleeping on her lap, occasionally stirred when she scratched its earlobe and curled into a warm fur ball. Her mind was flying into an imaginary world where she was the only inhabitant in the world, her soul freely flying in the blue yonder with Yuuno and her friends. "What do you think, Yuuno?" she asked and continually scratched Yuuno's head. "I can do this, can't I? If I don't fight, then who'll avenge Suzuka-chan and Patricia-chan?"

"Still thinking of quitting?"

Sakura immediately stood up, startling Yuuno that started to take cover inside her bag. "No! I mean… I'm not sure if I should quit or not, Suzuki-san," she answered.

"The EFA may agree to recruit you as a soldier, but the final decision is still yours," Suzuki continued. "Of course, even if they decline, the Centaur-Hanagami will always accept your application."

Sakura was reluctant to accept the answer. "But even if they agree to let me in, what will… the rest think?"

"Now, now, Sakura," Excellen added as she and the rest of the people arrived. "We won't force you to join us. We can still turn back and send you home if you want."

"If you want to stay and be involved in the war, just remember that it's a cruel world out there," Kyosuke added and was immediately elbowed by a disgruntled Excellen. "What?"

"Don't say anything that can discourage her," Excellen stated. "That's not good, you know?"

"Kyosuke is speaking the truth, I'm afraid," Frieda said (Takeru nodded to agree). "If you doubt your own strength to survive the path you're going to take, then forget about fighting this war." Later she smiled and sat next to the uneasy Sakura. "But if you believe in you, you can achieve anything. So," she spoke and softly caressed Sakura's cheek. "I believe you can do it."

"_(Doctor Franklin! The Russian Naval Force's base at Uel'Kal is under attack by the Green Sphere! They've requested for immediately reinforcement!)" _Aeroscraft operator reported.

"That was so quick," Suzuki said. "How long it's going to take to go there?"

"_(Ten minutes if we use maximum speed.)"_

"When I thought we could have a welcoming party," Excellen grumbled. "But then, it may just be Sakura's best change to show us what she can do."

"She stays," Suzuki objected. "Under no circumstances shall she take part in any military operation until the viewing board agrees."

"But you saw it, didn't you? You saw how she handled the situation during the invasion?" Excellen replied. "Plus, she's already a part of Team ATX!"

Kyosuke slightly coughed. "She isn't a part of Team ATX. Yet."

"Her experience is still inadequate to allow her to participate in real combat," Suzuki stated. "She will have to stay until she's 100 percent ready."

"Both of you! Please!" Both Suzuki and Excellen stopped arguing and turned to see Sakura looking nervous and uneasy. "I know I'm still a rookie when it comes to actual combat, but!" She stood up and bowed to them. "I will not let you down! Please allow me to take part!"

"_(ETA in seven minutes!)"_

Suzuki stared at the former Burning PT champion in concern. Then, as she corrected her eyeglasses, she signalled some of the crews to prepare the Sylvia. "I don't want you to be a burden to their mission, but if this is your decision then let it be."

"So does this mean she can come with us?" Lamia asked.

"Under one condition: she must not let the terrorists capture the Sylvia," Suzuki answered. "That prototype is still in development. I don't want what had happened to the Roslyn to repeat itself." She turned to Sakura. "Got it, Sakura? You're the only one who can pilot the Sylvia. Do you understand?"

Sakura nodded. "Yes! I will take care of it!"

"Let's move out, everyone!" Kyosuke said.

-x-x-x-x-x-

_// Uel'Kal, Russian Federation //_

"_**SHINHA! GOU SHOUSEN!!!"**_

With a finishing blow, the Apotheosized Ialdabaoth sent the unfortunate GS Gespenst crashing into the mountains. The humanoid-looking mecha turned around and fired energy balls at the attacking GS Doms, knocking them out of commission. Folka Albark, the new Shura King, happened to be at the Kamanchatka Peninsula for meditation when the news of the attack reached his ear.

And he was terribly annoyed.

"You are no match against Ialdabaoth!" Folka roared. _**"SHINHA! KISHIN KEN!!!!"**_ GS Doms around the Apotheosized Ialdabaoth were stunned by the "time-stopping" glare, and the Machine God pounced at the frozen enemies, punching and kicking them into pieces before everything returned to normal.

"You get out of our way!" a GS grunt shouted and fired his Dom's rocket bazooka at the Machine God. The Apotheosized Ialdabaoth dodged and counterattacked with Hakou Ken, sending the Dom into the mountains with a crash. Folka brought the mecha into the line of fire of several GS Barrelions and kicked through them in one attack.

"_(Reinforcements are coming!)"_

"_(Did the Aeroscraft get our message?)"_

"_(Yes! They did!)"_

"_(Thank god!)"_

Folka looked skywards. The arrival of Alt Eisen Riese and Weiss Ritter was a welcoming sight, and he knew he would not be alone in the new kind of war. "Well, well, look who's coming," he said and kicked an oncoming Dom out of the way.

"Hi! How about a welcoming gift from us?" Excellen asked and fired the Oxtongue Launcher at the Guarlions. The Alt Eisen Riese unleashed Avalanche Claymore at several more Barrelions, while the Hi-Nu Gundam and the Pistoleros broke through the defence line.

"Assault 1 to all units, let's split up!"

The reinforcements split: Kyosuke, Excellen and Amuro headed straight to the port while the Pistoleros approached the combat zone from the west. Lamia and Sakura were directed to the east corner of the area, and met up with Folka.

"_(Sakura, this is Suzuki. If you can hear me, then you need to know a bit about the Sylvia.)" _

"What do I need to know?" Sakura asked.

"_(The Sylvia specializes in mid- and long-range combat. Don't let the enemy come close, since it doesn't do very well in close-range fight.)"_

Sakura blinked. "…okay, I get it. What's next?"

"_(I want you to access the weapon list. Quickly.)"_

"Sylvia, show me the weapon list." The Sylvia complied and transmitted the information onto the screen to be seen by Sakura. "Let me see… so Raging Heart is a launcher? That's fitting. Then there's Fin Blade, and…" A GS Dom pounced at the Sylvia. "I don't have time for weapon check-up!" Sakura yelped and fired Raging Heart at the GS Dom, cutting its head off its body. "That was close…"

"Sakura! Don't lose your focus," Lamia reminded.

"I'm trying!" Sakura headed to another direction, only to face two GS Doms leaping towards her. She fired another shot from Raging Heart, but they dodged the attack. "Dodge? No way! Sylvia, Divine Shooter!!"

"_Yes, Master."_

Raging Heart switched mode, and the Sylvia opened fire: torrents of energy bullets were shot and sent the GS Doms out of commission. In stylish manner the caped mecha replaced the launcher's magazine clip and turned to the GS Barrelions. "Let's see if you can evade this!" she shouted and fired another Divine Shooters at the AM artilleries.

"Wow! Sakura is really good at shooting," Excellen complimented.

"Excellen! Dodge!" Excellen did what Kyosuke told and the Weiss Ritter evaded the GS Guarlion's Divine Blade. The Alt Eisen Riese charged at the Armoured Module and slammed its Revolving Bunker, discharging the stake six times into the mecha before tossing it into the sea. "You do that again, and I won't safe you next time," he warned.

"You don't have to be so mean, Kyosuke!" Excellen protested. "I was only a bit careless…"

Another GS Guarlion pounced, this time, at the Sylvia. Sakura got panicked and, in an unpredicted action, impaled Raging Heart into the Guarlion. _"Target acquired. Accessing Armour-Piercing Mode."_ Raging Heart transformed the tip of itself into a bayonet and discharged a powerful energy blast into the Guarlion.

"Damn it! I'm ejecting!" the Guarlion pilot screamed.

"Hey! That attack looks a lot like Revolving Stake," the shocked Excellen exclaimed. "How did Sakura learn to do that?"

"_(Sakura! What are you doing? That attack wasn't a part of the list!)"_

The Sylvia pulled away from the destroyed Guarlion. "I didn't even do anything, Suzuki-san! Sylvia did it by itself." Sakura's attention was disrupted when a GS Rhinoceros hit the Sylvia with anti-air guns. "I didn't see that coming! I was careless!" The caped mecha crashed into the building, temporarily unable to move due to the impact.

"_(Sakura! Are you alright?)"_

"Somehow," Sakura answered and brought the Sylvia back to its posture. "I can do it! Let's go, Sylvia!" The caped mecha charged into the heat of battle, ignoring Suzuki's order to stay with Lamia, and before anyone could guess it Sakura was aggressively beating the hell out of the GS invaders.

"Someone needs to look after her!" Amuro shouted and followed Sakura from behind, his Hi-Nu Gundam repelling Green Sphere advances from all directions.

"_(Second wave of enemy incoming!)" _Aeroscraft radar operator announced.

"This is madness!" Folka barked and kicked a GS Dom back into the mountains. "Who the hell are we fighting against?!"

"It's the Green Sphere!" Excellen replied and fired the split missiles to keep the Guarlions at bay. "Or at least it's what they call themselves."

"They're bound to announce their agenda to the world soon enough," Frieda added and slashed through the GS Doms' arms with the Gun Blade. The Beowulf dodged an incoming shot, and the attacking Dom was later downed by Silberkugel's long-range shot. "And the worst has happened. The Green Sphere has attacked Pearl Harbours minutes ago. Their next target is here."

"So they've gone a step further by attacking Pearl Harbour," Kyosuke said. "Nice. Just another way to wage war."

"Aw! This is not a good day for us," Excellen moaned.

"_Aeroscraft to all units! The enemy's outnumbering you! Please regroup!)"_

"And then retreat? No! I will not!" Sakura reloaded Raging Heart and turned to the new enemy wave. "You told me this is a war I can't run away from! Then I'll show them I can make it through!"

"_(Sakura! Stop acting on your instinct! Hold your ground!)"_ Sakura ignored the order and charged at the incoming horde, Raging Heart rapidly firing at the mechas. _"(Sakura! You can't face them alone! Sakura!)"_

"Come on, Kyosuke! Let's give her a hand!" Excellen stated and moved on to help Sakura. "You come with me too, Lamia!"

"I see them coming!" Takeru reported. "Loading Saunion Rifle with high-explosive projectiles!"

The Green Sphere commenced attack. Thousands of shells and rockets bombarded the naval base and the defenders were pinned down by the heavy bombardment, unable to counterattack. Sakura ignored the offensive move and relentlessly fired Divine Shooters at the invaders, whilst Excellen, Lamia, Amuro and Takeru provided extra firepower. (Kyosuke, Folka and Frieda stayed at ground level to cover the evacuating personnel.)

The Sylvia stopped firing. Sakura had been strained after overdoing herself in the firing spree. She tried ignoring her fatigue, even as she began losing concentration on the battle. "Not at this time! I must continue fighting!" she murmured, and reorganized her attacking plan when a shell exploded near the Sylvia's torso. The explosion knocked the caped mecha off the air and sent it into the ground with a loud crash.

"Sakura!!"

She did not answer. Her concern was on the Sylvia, afraid that the crash might damage its system. "Sylvia! Answer me! Are you alright?"

"_I am alright, Master."_

The answer was a relief. "Can you still fight?"

"_Yes. All systems are functioning properly."_

Sakura brought the Sylvia back to the sky, a bit dazed after experiencing two consecutive crashes in a day. "I hate being mocked like I'm a rookie," she groaned and took aim at the horde. "If I can't survive this war, I won't be able to see my friends and family again! I'll show you what I'm really made of! Sylvia!"

"_Yes, Master. Linked Power Core Boost Driver on."_

Raging Heart changed mode again and transformed into a shooting staff, its magenta orb glowing and vibrating in radiant energy. Sakura felt the energy flow reverberating intensely from inside the cockpit and kept herself steady, taking no attention of the power overload alarm that was setting off.

"_I am ready to be fired."_

"_Yosh!"_Sakura aimed Raging Heart at the horde. "Divine…" A magenta energy globe materialized in front of the shooting staff and grew into size.**"BUSTER!!!!"**The energy globe turned into a bright energy beam that shot across the sky and disintegrated half of the GS units, scattering the rest into small skirmishes.

"Let's fire away!" Excellen announced and fired the Oxtongue Rifle's Dual Mode. "This moment of pain is brought to you by the letter D! I bet you don't know what the "D" means."

"Go! Fin Funnel!" Amuro announced and launched the Fin Funnels.

"Releasing all limiters…" The Angelg took aim. "Now! Phantom Phoenix!"

"Fire!!" The Silberkugel fired the loaded HE projectiles at the horde.

"_(All enemies are retreating! No sign of further advance attempts are visible on radar.)"_

"We did it?" Folka asked.

"It seems we did," Kyosuke answered.

Sakura slumped into the chair. She could not believe she had made through her first military action. "I can't believe I actually did it…" she murmured. "Sylvia, let's land."

"_Yes, Master."_

"Sakura, are you there?" Excellen asked.

"Yes, ma'am?" Sakura replied after the Sylvia made a soft land next to the battered Kirov-class battle cruiser.

Excellen giggled. "Your firing technique needs refinement. Fortunately I know what to do about it."

"You mean you're going to teach me, ma'am?" Sakura asked again.

"For starting, just call me Ms. Excel," Excellen added.

"I guess that means my expertise may come to its usefulness," Amuro said. "For a Burning PT champion, your skill surpasses any pilots I know."

"_(This is Suzuki. Team ATX, can you hear me?)"_

"Assault 1 here," Kyosuke replied.

"_(We've been ordered to rendezvous with Archangel and the Aggressors at Pearl Harbour. Do whatever you need to do before we pick you up in 20 minutes.)"_

"Is Kai alright?" Kyosuke asked.

"_(Aggressor 1 informed us the situation is under control. He's awaiting your presence there. How is Sakura?)"_

Kyosuke turned to the Sylvia; Sakura was seen helped by Lamia as she stepped out of the cockpit. "She's alright." He was not concerned of her condition; he was bothered by Sanger's last words before the Kurogane left Seto Inland Sea. It kept ringing inside his head ever since Sakura took part in the operation.

"_Be very aware of her hidden strength. That girl__… she can be either your strongest asset or the weakest link in your team."_

Kyosuke glanced at Sakura, who was laughing like a silly child as Excellen, Amuro and Frieda teased her. He knew Sanger could see the potential inside someone he met, but would it mean he had to take extra precautions?

"Kyosuke."

Kyosuke turned to the Apotheosized Ialdabaoth. "Who's the girl? Your new team member?" Folka asked.

There was a faint grin carved upon his face as Kyosuke answered, "Not yet." He looked back at the shooting quartet and shrugged. "Not yet. She needs to prove herself further."

_// to be continued //_


	9. Hidden Treasure

**HAPTER 08  
HIDDEN TREASURE**

_/ __Inner Mongolia /_

"I will ask this one more time: what are we doing here?"

"Nagasumi, didn't you get the memo? The Earth Federation asks us to retrieve top-secret documents, so stop asking."

"I know that already, but far in the interior? Isn't it better to keep stuffs at more accessible place?"

"There are reasons why the term 'undisclosed' is coined. And sometimes it's better if we left some secrets unquestioned."

"Okay, I won't ask. You don't have to be that stressed, not after I did damages to the Type-1."

"Hey, hey! I'm not mad at you! You just have to be careful with it next time, okay?"

"_(Sounds very unconvincing from the man who never gets a real girlfriend. Right, Nagasumi-san?)"_

"You may be right, San-chan."

"Hey, you two, cut it out. We aren't here for empty chatters. San, how did you get into our frequency?"

"So sorry, Irmgult-san."

"_(No enemy activity detected within perimeter. Nagasumi, Irmgult, you may proceed.)"_

"We hear you. Come on, Nagasumi. Let's see what this place has to offer."

The Grungust, piloted by Nagasumi, and the Huckebein 009, Irmgult onboard, approached the deserted facility. The Real Trooper led the way and approached the main building. "This is a very strange place to keep secret documents," Irmgult said as he looked around the vicinity for door hatch.

"See? I did say so, didn't I?" Nagasumi replied. "So what are we supposed to retrieve- I mean, what kind of documents did the Earth Federation keep here?"

"I have no idea, but I know they've been developing a portable weapon system for many years," Irmgult answered.

"You mean like the Black Hole Cannon, right?" Nagasumi guessed.

"You've certainly learned lot, haven't you?" Irmgult said. "Why don't you try piloting the Huckebein once in a while?"

"Thanks, but no thanks," Nagasumi declined with a chuckle. "I'm not the type of guy who likes to zip around."

The technicians were brought in and inspected the abandoned complex, while the Grungust and the Huckebein 009 stayed on guard. They were later instructed to enter the main building when radar operator detected unusual activity from inside. "Must be the automated climate control system," Irmgult said.

"Or it may be the defensive panels," Nagasumi added. "Either way we have to be careful. I don't like it when we're working here just to fall into a trap."

The two mechas approached the location uploaded to their database by the radar operator. It brought them to a large underground hangar where their eyes spotted something at the end of the launching pad. "Did you think what I just think, Irmgult-san?" Nagasumi asked.

"I hope my brain's telling me the wrong stuff," Irmgult answered.

They could not be anymore wrong, because standing before them was a Grungust Type-3 in its most pristine condition. The lack of battle damages or deployment status suggested that the SRG model had been stored in the underground hangar for a long time, and for a moment Irmgult and Nagasumi were speechless on how it ended up in the undisclosed location.

"I think this is why the Earth Federation wants us to come here," Irmgult said and approached the idle Type-3.

"What do you mean?" Nagasumi asked.

"If I can recall my memory, there were plans to build the fourth Type-3 many years ago but financial problems hampered it," Irmgult answered and signalled at the technicians to inspect the mecha. "This is a godsend. Either they have hired a third party to do their work, or they did build it with their limited resources."

Nagasumi looked at the Type-3 with a sense of awe. "What are we going to do about it, then?"

"I see if we can activate it," Irmgult said. "Though it means one of us will have to go out and get inside it. Nagasumi, can you do it?"

"I'm not sure if I can do it, but I'll try." Nagasumi disembarked from the Type-1 and climbed aboard the Type-3 with the technicians' assistance. He entered the cockpit and wasted no time taking the seat. "Alright. Let's see if I can bring this thing back to life." He activated the control, which was working surprising well for a machine that had never been operational for years. The machine bulged when he brought it to motion and it slowly left the platform to approach the Huckebein 009.

"How is it?"

"It's working quite well. I'm very surprised."

"Well, you sound interested in Type-3 already. Why don't you give it a try?"

"I'm not quite sure if I have the qualification, though I do want to pilot something like a Type-3."

"If you don't, then who else will? Come on; we better take the Type-3 outside."

The Type-3 made its way towards the exit door and met up with the carrier ship that had earlier landed at the facility's landing pad. Everybody was in great surprise at the sight of the Type-3, particularly since there was no news of any construction of the model.

"Never thought to see another Type-3 in service," Gilliam said (once he left the carrier ship on his Gespenst RV). "Things may go well on our side."

"What are we going to do with it, Gilliam-san?" Nagasumi asked.

"We'll inform the Earth Federation on this discovery," Gilliam answered. "In the mean time, we'll run some analysis on the Type-3 for you."

"Roger," Nagasumi answered.

The rest of the technicians returned with documents on the facility retrieved, and they also recovered what looked like an externally-launched portable cannon not too dissimilar to the G-Impact Cannon. "We have the items retrieved. We're ready to bring them onboard," the chief technician said.

Just as they were preparing to load the cargoes the radar operator was alerted of enemy presence around the facility. "Enemy signature at 12 o'clock! All units alert!" At the same time several grunts appeared at the scene, Doms and Gespents alike, and they were aiming at the carrier ship.

"Surrender the portable cannon," the grunt ordered. "If you still value your life."

"It's the Green Sphere. How did they manage to find this place? This is suspicious," Gilliam said.

"Oh, not these guys again!" Nagasumi moaned.

"Surrender the portable cannon," the grunt repeated his command. "Or we'll shoot everything in sight."

"This is not good," Gilliam murmured. "Nagasumi, if you're confident you can control the Type-3, then we'll need every bit of its strength right now."

"Just leave it to me, Gilliam-san!" Nagasumi armed the Type-3 and stepped forward as to face the grunts. "You've been annoying all this time! Now get lost!"

"Don't look down at us just because you have superior firepower!" the grunt replied. "We have more numbers than you are!"

"Then I'll prove you wrong! Type-3 at your service!" Nagasumi declared and fired the Eye Solid Laser at the grunt. The attack knocked the GS Dom off the building, and this prompted the rest of the invaders to open fire at the sole Type-3. Nagasumi brought the Type-3 into defensive posture and absorbed the barrage, not bulging for even an inch despite the heavy bombardment.

"This one's tougher than I've thought!"

"Don't bother him and retrieve the portable cannon!"

One of the GS Doms broke away from the formation and charged head-on at Nagasumi. The move was easily anticipated and Nagasumi seized the opportunity to fire another Eye Solid Laser at the Dom. He, then, repositioned the Type-3 to face another Dom that had already charged at him and sent the mobile suit to the smithereens with a boost knuckle.

"Doesn't anyone try helping him?" Irmgult left the defence line and teamed up with Nagasumi to fend off the grunts, utilizing each of the Huckebein 009's weapons to further keeping the intruders at bay. "You okay, Nagasumi?"

"Somehow!" Nagasumi turned the Type-3 towards a second batch of invaders coming from the south. "More of them are coming! Can we really hold them up for much longer?"

"Don't lose focus, Nagasumi-san!" San pleaded. "You can do it!"

"I can do this!" The Type-3 in position, Nagasumi took aim and unleashed a powerful shot of Omega Blaster at the invaders. The shot decimated almost half of the horde, but with more of the grunts coming at the facility the expeditionary team was cornered at all directions, cut off from any escape route.

"We still need to take the technicians out!" Irmgult shouted. "They won't last this battle!"

"I'll provide the escape route!" Nagasumi brought the Type-3 further forward and fired another Omega Blaster to open a space between the invaders. Several Doms and Gespensts got caught in the blast and exploded, their debris flying across the battlefield and becoming stray projectiles (the Type-3 itself got hit but sustained no serious damage and could still continue fighting).

"Nagasumi, you don't want to push the Type-3 too far. We still don't know its full combat capability," Gilliam said.

"I know. I'll be careful." Just as Nagasumi prepared to fire a third Omega Blaster an 81mm rocket exploded near the Type-3's head and, in the repetition of the Seto Inland Sea, knocked out most of its sensors although the radio survived. "I didn't see it coming! Damn it!" He had underestimated the grunts' strength and failed to see a Dom approaching him from the behind. The small and nimble Mobile Suit pounced at him and jabbed the heat sabre into the Type-3's spine, further damaging its system and electrocuting Nagasumi in the process.

"**HOW DARE YOU DO THAT TO MY PRECIOUS UNDERLING PUUUUUUNCH****?!"**

The Dom was punched off the Type-3 and crashed into the ground. The dramatic effect of the attack was imminent as Nagasumi turned around to see the newcomer. "You're here, Kamina-san!"

"It's Aniki, not Kamina!" Kamina hollered and made a proud stance atop the building to mark his entry. "Who the hell do you think I am!?"

"Hey, hey, just when we least expected it," Irmgult said with a snicker.

"Great Gurren Brigade…" Gilliam only murmured the name.

"Don't pull my legs around! I am Kamina-sama, the leader of the Great Gurren Brigade!" Kamina continued and jumped off the building to face the grunts. "You dare harming my precious underlings! You shall be kicked to curb and sent to the endless heavens!"

"It's the same guy we faced at Seto Inland Sea!" the grunt shouted in panic. "What the hell are we supposed to do?!"

"Concentrate on the mission! Don't let them escape with the cannon!" another grunt answered.

"I'll show you the true strength of Great Gurren Brigade!" Kamina shouted. "Let's go, Kyoudai! Shove your fists into their sorry mouth and kick reasons to curb!!"

"_**OU!!"**_

The rest of the Great Gurren Brigade charged at the grunts, leaving Kamina to perform the "everlasting combination" with Simon. "Simon! Time to show them who the hell we are!!"

"Got it, Aniki!" Simon replied and brought Lagann into the air, which was grabbed by the Ganmen as it flew overhead.

"**GATTAI!!"**The two Ganmen combined and transformed into Gurren Lagann. The red mecha landed onto the ground in dramatic matters, all while Simon and Kamina chanted:_"When two souls are united as one, together we can overcome the impossible! Reasons shall be kicked to curb and heavens shall be pierced! __**GURREN LAGANN!! WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK WE ARE!!"**_

Gurren Lagann landed in the middle of the masses and performed wicked kicks and punches at the robots. True to Kamina's fiery spirit the grunts were kicked to curb and punched to the very edge of the sky and the confusion it had caused allowed the technicians to escape with the retrieved cargoes safely onboard.

"Nagasumi! Show them the very spirit you used at the beach!" Kamina shouted and kicked one of the Gespents Gurren Lagann had grabbed into the building.

"How am I supposed to do that? I don't even know Type-3's real capability," Nagasumi replied.

"Believe in me who believe in you, Nagasumi! I know you can do it!!" Gurren Lagann jumped backward and fired a barrage of Real Spirit of Men cannon at the grunts. "What's the point of being a member of the Great Gurren Brigade if he doesn't believe in me, Kamina-sama?!"

"Aniki, I think you're scaring him," Simon reminded. Kamina was very absorbed in attacking the grunts to notice him, or to notice a Gespenst that was approaching from behind with Jet Magnum deployed.

"Kamina-san!" Instinctively Nagasumi charged at the sneaking Gespenst and punched the Personal Trooper away from Gurren Lagann. The Type-3, then, produced what looked like a staff from its right shoulder armour and attached the boost drills onto its ends. "If Kamina-sa- Aniki believes in me, I have no rights to disappoint him! Take this: Drill Boost Spear!" With a single thrust the Type-3 stabbed the makeshift weapon into the Gespenst and destroyed the Personal Trooper into bits.

"_(We have energy reading from Type-3! It's the same as the one from the Type-1'sSpiral Driver module, only stronger!)"_

"Another Spiral Driver? How can that be possible?" Gilliam asked.

"_(We've finished the analysis on the Type-3. Its design is custom-made for a reason we haven't had the answer, but it seems __to be built around the Spiral Drive.)"_

"There's definitely something strange about this Type-3," Irmgult said.

The Type-3 retreated back towards Gurren Lagann. "Aniki." Nagasumi paused and then he smiled. "Let's do this together!"

"Yosh! That's the spirit!" Kamina said. "Let's go, Simon, Nagasumi! Let's show them what the hell we're made of!"

"You can count on me, Aniki!" Nagasumi replied.

Gurren Lagann charged onward, kicking more and more grunts to curb whilst Kamina shouted hot-blood and told the Great Gurren Brigade to "believe in him who believes in them". Nagasumi followed his lead and used the newfound weapon to further extend the Type-3's offensive strength; if Zengar's Type-3's colossal blade were terrifying to the core, Nagasumi's Type-3's colossal spear was anything but elegant.

"We're retreating!" the grunt shouted.

"What about the cannon?" another grunt asked.

"We'll find another one!" the grunt answered. "There's no way we can win this fight! Not with that crackpot around!"

"Who the hell are you calling a crackpot!?" Kamina shouted and kicked the retreating Dom into the air. He turned at the rest of the grunts and, with a pissed look on his face, said: "I'll show who the real crackpot is! Eat this: TRUE SPIRIT OF MEN!!"

Finally the grunts were driven out of the facility. The Great Gurren Brigade regrouped and met up with the expeditionary team who were all thanking them for their help. "Well, we couldn't make it without you guys," Irmgult said. "Though what had actually brought you this far?"

"We ran," Simon answered. "Or so Aniki wanted us to believe. And we've got quite good scenery along our way."

"Don't underestimate us," Kamina said with a laugh. "We Great Gurren Brigade never give up until we achieve our goal."

"Visitors from other dimensions can sometimes be confusing to understand, right Gilliam?" Irmgult asked.

"I agree, although I still need to understand the mechanism that brought them here," Gilliam answered.

"And while we're at it," Kamina said and turned to Nagasumi. "Nagasumi! Your fighting spirit has compelled me to invite you into the brigade! We shall value the infinite strength you have shown to us!"

Nagasumi had to laugh. "I didn't even say anything about joining your group…"

"But it may be your best chance to hone your piloting skill," Irmgult suggested. "Besides, you can make friends with them."

"I don't see any problem with it," Gilliam said. "But we still need to further analyse this Type-3 before any decision can be made."

"Then it's decided!" Kamina bellowed and pointed to the evening sky. "I, the great Kamina, welcome you to the Great Gurren Brigade! You shall become one of the brothers in soul, forever linked by everlasting union of burning spirit! Who the hell do you think you are?!"

Nagasumi sighed. "San-chan, help…"

_/ to be continued /_


	10. Secret Point of Love

**CHAPTER 09  
SECRET POINT (OF LOVE)**

_/ Tunisia /_

"Remind me to introduce them to… umm, what's your name again?"

"Bauer, Ivan Beckenbauer. Ivan is enough."

Ibis coughed in slight embarrassment. "Sorry. I'm just nervous after you saved me," she apologized. "Sleigh's going to laugh at me if she ever knows about this…"

"Hey, don't mind it. I'm the one who should be thanking you instead," Ivan said. "I'd be stranded out there for the rest of my life if it wasn't for you efforts. Maybe I should buy you coffee to show my gratitude."

"You don't have to," Ibis said with silly giggles. "I only saved you. That's all I did."

"Excuse me for my curiosity, but what's someone like you doing out there?" Tsugumi asked.

_They would probably not believe me for the __Bermuda Triangle story,_ Ivan thought when he remembered how he was transported from his home world. "I'm a secret agent," he began his fabricated story. "My employers, who I can't reveal their identity, assign me to investigate an illegal fossil fuel trade between European governments and Middle-East terrorists."

"Fuel trade?" Ibis asked.

"Unfortunately that's all I can tell," Ivan answered. "Even I don't have a clear idea of the nature of such thread, though I have long suspected the involvement of Celestial Beings."

"Ah, this reminds me," Lowe blurted. "The Federation also mentioned something about Celestial Beings, though they didn't put much focus on them. I suppose with the advent of the Green Sphere everything becomes too complicated for them."

Ivan scratched his chin. It must be the grunts he had encountered at the desert, and judging from the mechas they were operating they were not to be taken lightly. The only problem was, he pondered, would they strike again?

"Say, what were you doing in that Ashsaber?" Ibis asked.

"You certainly like to ask a lot," Ivan said (Ibis blushed when Ibis teasingly smiled to her). "My employers gave it to me. It was salvaged from an unused base some years ago. I can only imagine how bad Ashley was when they found it."

"Ashley? That's… very girlish to me," Ibis said.

"Ibis, you've been asking him so many times," Tsugumi reminded. "Give him a break, will you?"

"Well, why must it be Ashley? Saber sounds nicer to me," Ibis insisted.

"I think somebody else has used the name Saber," Ivan laughed. "Don't you worry, Ibis. Everywhere I go people will question the name of choice, so there's no big deal. And speaking of which," he said and changed topic of discussion," what are _you _doing out here?"

"In case you didn't know, we're from the Junk Guild," Lowe said. "The Federation has asked us to do some salvaging works during our North African trip. It's not easy work, if you want to count the Green Sphere's constant threats."

"I thought the Federation has adequate strength to… lend you some of their robots," Ivan said.

"Well, they wanted to but- oh, you know the rest of the story," Lowe sighed. "Besides, trucks? TRUCKS? Of all transportations they gave us TRUCKS? What the hell did they smoke at their office?"

"Okay, I won't ask anymore," Ivan laughed.

"Anyway, since you're here, I guess you can stay with us until your… Ashley's fully repaired. In return you're allowed to work with the guild for a while," Lowe continued and offered a handshake. "Do we have a deal, Ivan?"

Ivan smirked. A chance that should not be ignored. "Under the condition that you find me a robot to drive," he said and took the handshake.

"Consider it done," Lowe answered.

-

-

The convoy was preparing to leave. They had salvaged a number of mechas at the outskirt of the capital city during their two-week excavation, and with the help of the city authorities they were able to transport the cargoes to Earth Federation headquarters at Sicily on schedule.

"Where are we going next, then?" Ivan asked.

"Our next destination is Central America," Lowe answered. "To be more specific, Chichen Itza. We're going to do more salvaging once we arrive."

"It's going to be one wild ride in the jungle," Ivan joked.

"You have quite a sense of humour, Ivan," Lowe said. "I like that."

The last of the containers had been transferred onto the merchant ship. All that was left to do was to prepare their next travel, and Ivan was less than certain of the awaiting journey. He was concerned of SM Ibis' safety more than his own, but with her whereabouts unknown he could only hope she would be able to survive the ordeals without his presence.

The port rocked when, out of nowhere, an explosion destroyed a nearby warehouse. Chaos took over when deck workers ran for safety and in the confusion Ibis got separated from Tsugumi and Lowe, and was unable to find her way out. Ivan made his mode and brought her to the safety of the Guild's land convoy.

"It's not safe here," Ivan said while covering Ibis' head with his trench coat.

"I need to find Tsugumi first!" Ibis cried.

"Not with those rockets flying over our head," Ivan replied and ducked when an RPG detonated over the convoy. "Whatever they're after, they're determined."

"It's the Green Sphere! They've come to steal the containers!" the dock supervisor shouted. "We must protect the merchant ships! Alert the city guards!" In an instant a team of Strike Daggers was rushed to defend the port, none of the pilots having any idea of the scale of the threat they were facing.

"We need to get the ships out of the port!" Lowe shouted as he and Tsugumi got near the convoy. "Is everybody alright?"

"I don't know if we're alright," Ivan said, still holding Ibis in his arms (Ibis blushed at the close proximity between her and Ivan, and was trying to suppress her reactions).

The Strike Daggers were slowly overrun, despite their best efforts to protect the port from the Green Sphere. Some of the Mobile Suits were even decommissioned due to the vast number of the grunts. "At this rate they'll overrun this place and steal the cargoes! We need reinforcements!" the dock supervisor screamed.

Another RPG detonated near the trucks. This time it ripped one of the unmoved containers open and revealed, of all cargoes, a Gouf Custom. With Ibis still securely held in his arms Ivan glanced at the Mobile Suit; he could not have been any luckier, because it was just what he needed to solve the problems. "Ibis, I think I'm going to leave you for a while."

"W-what?" Ivan already let go off Ibis and ran towards the Gouf Custom. "Ivan! You can't possibly go and face the Green Sphere! Ivan!"

Slowly the Gouf Custom rose from its back and turned to face the oncoming grunts. "Alright. Let's see if I can get this old buddy working," Ivan said and monitored the radar screen. "So did anyone ask for reinforcements?"

"Who the hell is this?" one of the grunts asked.

"Somebody you don't want to know," Ivan replied in joking manners.

The grunt was infuriated and attacked. Ivan quickly took cover behind the building and avoided the rocket that bounced off the concrete wall and into the sea. He waited for the attackers to come close and opened fire with the shield-mounted cannon at the GS Doms, before he ran to take cover at another building. None of the three partners on the ground had any idea of Ivan's apparent piloting skill or his experience in combat, but all of them knew he would not be able to dish out the attack on his own.

"We can't possibly let him do all the works," Lowe said.

"Got any suggestions?" Tsugumi asked.

"First, we need to get to our mechas at the hangar," Lowe answered. "Hope Ivan knows what he's doing."

Not taking care of his Guild friends Ivan kept on the pressure, exerting his best efforts to keep the grunts away from the ports. The Gouf Custom was manoeuvred expertly across the urban battlefield, as the Shadow Mirror operative exploited its advantages to its fullest to wreck havoc to the grunts.

"Ivan! Let us help you!" Ivan turned to the direction of the radar signal and saw the Astelion AX and the Astray Red Frame near the hangar. He shook his head in amazement; how they managed to contact him he did not - and would not - know but at least he got several extra hands to do the job.

"You sound concerned," Ivan guessed.

"I-I only want to help!" Ibis replied. "Don't get me wrong, okay?"

Ivan chuckled. "Alright. I may need some useful helps here."

The first set of the grunts had been defeated, and many of them were taking a hasty retreat to the desert. "Are we done?" Ibis asked.

"Not yet, I think," Ivan said and glanced at the radar. "Lowe, Tsugumi what's your radar reading? I believe we may have to face another phase."

"What? I don't want to!" Ibis moaned.

True to Ivan's words, more of the Green Sphere grunts appeared to the south. It seemed the retreat was to mask the reinforcements' arrival -- the same tactic the Green Sphere had employed during the assault on Pearl Harbour -- and the numbers were greater than the first batch.

"Are they really after the cargoes?" Tsugumi asked.

"From the look of it, I doubt they're targeting the ships anymore," Lowe said.

"Kill all, loot all, burn all," Ivan said. "I don't really get their motives."

The second batch began their moves. The Doms spearheaded the offensive, bombarding the port's defence line with rockets and beam rifles. With only Astray Red Frame, Astelion AX and Ivan's Gouf Custom defending the port the end seemed inevitable.

"Caloric Missile!"

The frontline Doms got knocked out of service. The attack, along with apparently spectacular entry ("Cue dramatic music," Ivan commented) could only bring everybody to a conclusion.

"**Cybuster, go!"**

The white Masou Kishin arrived just in the nick of time, and its presence meant the guild could protect the escaping merchant ships for a little longer. "Took you a long time to come here, Masaki," Tsugumi said.

"Hey, I can't just let them hurt my buddies, can I?" Masaki said.

"Actually, Masaki got lost again while heading to South East Asia," Shiro corrected.

"True, true," Kuro agreed. "And he was very confident to say he could find his way this time."

"Shiro! Kuro! Not now!" Masaki groaned.

"That's our Masaki indeed," Ibis giggled.

"Hey, who's this new guy?" Masaki asked.

"Ivan here," Ivan introduced himself. "Just happened to help these people moving their stuffs to the ships when the enemy appeared."

"They've strengthened themselves with reinforcements!" one of the grunts cried. "The new mecha's not in our database! What must we do?"

"Don't bother! Destroy the port! That's our order!" another grunt said.

"That's not so easy with Cybuster around, you fool! Let's go, Cybuster!" Masaki shouted and charged at the grunts. The Masou Kishin withdrew its Zephyr Sword and started hacking through the Doms and Gespensts, evading everything the grunts were tossing at with great degree. Ibis and Tsugumi were next to join the fray, and the combination of the two "speed deities" were more than enough to put the grunts out of order.

"Take this! CYFLASH!!" The Cybuster emitted a bright flash of pure energy that knocked the surrounding Doms away from it. The Astelion AX followed suit and fired barrages of missiles at the remaining Mobile Suits. The Cybuster took another turn and executed the rarely-seen Ranbu no Tachi onto an unsuspecting Gespenst, putting more dents on the already weakened enemy.

"Who's that guy anyway?" Ivan asked.

"Masaki Andoh, for your information," Lowe answered. "Very skilled pilot, but has very terrible sense of direction. He can't even find himself a way out inside the carrier ship." (Inside the Cybuster, Masaki sneezed). "But he's very helpful, so you may want to forgive him for his weak spot." (Again, Masaki sneezed and almost lost concentration of the battle.)

"I think I'll be working with him a lot after this," Ivan said and entered the fray with Lowe behind him. "By the way, Lowe."

"Huh?"

"You better find me a good big gun," Ivan said and started shooting at the enemy. "Because this old friend really needs to shine itself."

"I see if I can get that arranged," Lowe answered and withdrew the katana. "And you sound so old school, you know."

"Trust me, my friend," Ivan said. "Some things really need to be brought back to life."

After thirty minutes of hectic desert battle the Green Sphere was finally driven back to the south. Everybody in the team cheered for their success and returned to the port. Ibis and Tsugumi never stopped thanking Masaki for his impromptu presence, and the Masou Kishin inheritor kept yelling at his black and white familiars that did not stop highlighting his lack of directional sense.

"Listen up, everyone," Lowe spoke after they gathered. "I just received a message from the Guild. The Hagane will be picking us here in half an hour, so we better get ourselves packed up. Some of the cargoes the merchant fleet didn't bring with will be taken with us, by the way."

"Is Tetsuya coming?" Ibis asked.

"He'll personally greet us onboard," Lowe answered. "And there's going to be some people you might know."

"For once, I thought we're going to have to go onboard the ship," Ibis sighed in relief. "Because I don't know if I can keep myself from throwing. Thank goodness for Tetsuya."

"Ibis, you're worried of yourself too much," Lowe said. "You should ask Ivan on seasick curing advices."

"But- hey! Why am I suddenly paired up with Ivan?" Ibis demanded.

"Oh? What's this new love story I just heard?" Masaki asked.

"Lowe's making things up! Don't believe in him!" Ibis wailed.

"Ibis, you're being denial," Tsugumi teased. "I saw how comfortable you were when Ivan-san held you."

"Ibis is too shy to admit her feeling, boo," Shiro said.

"True, true," Kuro agreed. "After all, Ibis the Shooting Star has become quite popular with boys and men lately. She's even got a fan club at Hong Kong."

"Shiro! Kuro!" Ibis whined.

"Whoa! Ibis is getting herself a boyfriend! This is way too cool to be ignored," Masaki added.

"Stop teasing me, Masaki, Tsugumi!" Ibis begged. "Aw! I wish Sleigh were here to help…"

Ivan laughed. If Ibis and SM Ibis ever met, he pondered, all hell would break loose, and he wished such day would never have to come. He shook his again in amazement and went to listen to the friendly conversations on his radio. "You better mind your manners, Ibis," he reminded. "Good girl doesn't shout on the radio."

"Not even you too, Ivan?" Ibis growled. "Why is everyone teasing me today?"

"I don't know. Maybe because ibis is love?" All but Ibis laughed at Ivan's joking answer. "Yeah, that's right. I know this sounds crazy, but from now on Ibis Douglas shall be known as Ibis is Love."

"_Ivan!!"_


	11. UnRestful Days

**CHAPTER ****10  
****UN-RESTFUL DAYS**

_/ EFA Pacific Headquarters, Hawaii /_

"At least none of the documents were stolen this time," Mwu said.

"I know that, but the threat had prompted HQ to order more MP Real Troopers to be sent here," Kai answered. "That isn't good, because most of the RTs are already deployed at the Middle-East and there isn't anything that can be done here to overcome the shortage."

"We've had troubles at our side, too," Mwu said. "The war's just ended, and the military strength's reduced by healthy amounts. Only a handful of squads remain operational, and it makes me wondering if the federation's really planned for their future." He later sighed and threw his sight to the ceiling. "ORB, ZAFT, OMNI… all the memories…"

"I understand the feeling," Kai said and leaned into the chair. "My boys down here aren't in their pristine condition. Inadequate training, lack of spare parts, you name it."

"It's pretty much an un-restful day for both of us, isn't it?" Mwu asked.

"Yeah, with my Gespenst taking some hit during the battle, repairing it here will be a hassle," Kai sighed. "By the way, Mwu. We heard you have new members on the Archangel. Care to tell us who they are?"

"I'm not sure if you want to believe in us or not," Mwu said with silly chuckles, "but we have Ibis."

"Impossible," Kai snorted. "Ibis is with Lowe at Tunisia as we speak. She just called me a few hours ago."

"At least, that's what every one of us wanted to believe," Mwu continued. "And she keeps saying herself as an Idol. We don't really understand her intention, or the tuxedo man who she claims as her bodyguard."

"I do know Ibis has acquired many fans in recent days, but I never know she's going for idol business," Kai added. "Might be a look-alike, or someone using Ibis' name for her personal benefit."

"Major Kitamura, excuse me for interrupting," Murrue said as she approached the table. "The headquarters have requested the Archangel to invite you onboard. Your presence will be very welcomed to boost the troopers' morale."

"Hmm…" Kai scratched his chin and stared at his colleagues. "I never planned on leaving Hawaii soon, but if it's from HQ, well… at least I can have my Gespenst repaired onboard."

"We'll arrange for that, Major," Murrue told him.

"On top of that, I've wanted to see this _Ibis_ for myself," Kai said.

Mwu chuckled. "Believe me, Kai. You may change your opinion after seeing her _yourself_."

-x-x-x-x-x-

_/ onboard Archangel /_

Van and Wendy headed to SM Ibis' room, Kira, Athrun and Lacus closely following their lead. They had things to discuss with SM Ibis regarding her future plan in times of war and were concerned of her capabilities to handle the war. Even after learning the Astelion Custom's combat readiness they still doubted her abilities as a mecha pilot and at such they knew they needed to gather more information about the Idol.

And none of them were prepared for what to come as they entered the room.

"Nyan, Nyan! Nyan, Nyan! Nihao Nyan! Gorgeous, Delicious, Deculture!"

Wendy gaped. Van said nothing. Kira, Athrun and Lacus were speechless. SM Ibis had done the thing none of them had expected to see it coming, and was shamelessly doing it in front of the people.

"What is she doing?" Kira asked.

"I have no idea," Athrun answered.

"Hmm…" Both Van and Lacus stared at SM Ibis in intrigue.

"Hey! Stop it! You're only embarrassing yourself!"

"Eh?" SM Ibis put away the headphones. She turned towards the annoyed Wendy and stared at the pigtailed girl for a couple seconds. "What's the matter with you, honey?"

"I said stop it!" Wendy cried out. "You're going to embarrass yourself in front of them!"

"Nobody tells me to stop embarrassing myself," SM Ibis answered. "Besides my _very close friend_ has invited me to visit her café. I can't wait to see her."

Wendy turned to Van, who was unsurprisingly nonchalant at SM Ibis' antics. "Say something about her, Van!" she said.

"I don't know what else to say," Van answered.

"But Van!" Wendy growled.

"Oh, Wendy," SM Ibis giggled. "You're just jealous to see an idol having many well-known friends, aren't you?" She left Wendy reeling in dissatisfaction as she continued singing "Nyan, Nyan! Nyan, Nyan! Nihao Nyan! Gorgeous, Delicious, Deculture!" and dancing to the commercial song. The pigtailed girl lost her patience and started yelling at SM Ibis but was uselessly ignored, and Athrun found himself laughing miserably at the awkward "soap drama" scenario, while both Kira and Lacus both gave him a very deep glare.

"Where are we supposed to go after this?" he asked after he finally stopped laughing.

"Athrun, you're acting weird today," Kira commented.

"Sorry; can't help it," Athrun apologized.

"How about Las Vegas? I know the best place where idols usually gather," SM Ibis suggested. "Of course, that depends on whether Van the Slacker approves or not."

"I don't really mind," Van shrugged and headed back to his room. "Wake me up when we arrive. I need to have enough rest."

"Hey! You're supposed to stay!" SM Ibis cried. "You're my bodyguard, and you aren't leaving without my permission!"

Van stopped. He corrected his hat, said "sorry" and left the infuriated SM Ibis behind. This was enough for the Shadow-Mirror Idol to point at Lacus and exclaimed "I am so furious right now that I challenge you for karaoke duel once we make landfall!"

Lacus could only chuckle. "Oh, dear me."

Wendy slapped her head. "I can't believe I befriend a lunatic like her…"

-x-x-x-x-x-

_/ __onboard Queen Regent, somewhere in south-east Pacific /_

"_**EIGH!!"**_

With a single move Margaret slammed her sparring partner onto the mat with an Uchi Mata. The supervising coach signalled an Ippon to the Red Team, and in an instant her fellows hollered in victory. The downed combatant had to be carried out by medical team, leaving the all-woman team to cheer for their victorious general. Margaret said nothing even though her subordinates were praising her for her extraordinary talent.

"Well, looks like you ladies really enjoy your victory, eh?" Red Team turned around to see Yukimura entering the sparring hall, and they squealed to at his presence they immediately gathered around him. "Calm down, ladies. It's just that I was told to meet Margaret here."

"Sir Yukimura, you should see Margaret kicking the man's butt!" one of the women said.

"She's really awesome!" another woman told him. "It would be more awesome if we all could become like her: strong, dependable, inspiring, and- oh! She's got the beautiful hair, too."

"Don't tell her about this, General," another woman said as she leaned to whisper to Yukimura, "but we're envious of her body. Like, we're dying to know her secret. _And she's got bigger chest size than mine, too._"

"Ladies, it would be inappropriate if you keep me surrounded," Yukimura told the masses. "Not with me having body odour after the simulated mission."

"General, can we take you after this for lunch?" the women asked. "We've been dying to have meals with you. Pretty please, General? Please? Please? _Please_?"

"Stand down, soldiers. General Yukimura has important matters with me. Please leave us for a few minutes," Margaret told the women. "I'll let you do whatever you want with him after this. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!" they happily answered and headed to the vending machine. "And be nice to the general, okay?"

Margaret said nothing; all she did was to observe them with a deep glare of envy before she approached Yukimura. "You said you were told to meet me. What's the matter?"

"We have a change of schedule," Yukimura said and helped her tying up her hair. "The council wants us to meet the Las Vegas Division to assist their North American operations."

"I thought we're supposed to head back to Baikonur," Margaret said. "What happened?"

"I have no idea, but it seems they don't want us to come across Black Zamber's operation," Yukimura answered.

Margaret shook her head. "Black Zamber…" She gritted her teeth. "I don't like him. He insulted Alicia and made fun of me… what does he think he is?"

"It can't be helped," Yukimura said and began to massage her stiff shoulders. "Besides, we don't have to stay and watch another rocket launch like the rest of the people." Margaret fell silent, although she did enjoy the feeling of the man's touch on her. (The whole Red Team had returned when this happened and they started whispering on the two general's dubious relationship). "Well?"

Margaret snickered and grabbed Yukimura's hand before she swept him off his feet. She miscalculated her steps because he grabbed her arm and pulled her along as he fell onto the floor. "Oniichan, what are you doing?" she gasped.

"I can't believe how rebellious my dear Imotou has become," Yukimura hissed and attempted an arm bar but Margaret was faster than him and was overpowered in no time. He turned over and seized her neck before locking her in a sleeper's hold. "You may be a black belt holder, but I'm a better Judo fighter than you are."

"Then how about this?" Margaret poked Yukimura's eyes and was able to wrestle him on the floor. Yukimura cried fool for the dirty trick but Margaret ignored him and did another arm bar. Yukimura escaped and attempted another sleeper's hold but failed to strangle Margaret. Both of them returned to the floor and were facing each other, determined to outwit each other in the battle.

"Show him what you're made of!" one of the spectators cheered.

"Awesome! This is a fight we've wanted to see!" another spectator exclaimed.

"Ten bucks General Testarossa will kick the hell out of General Yukimura," a spectator said.

"Dude! Make it twenty!" his friend suggested.

After ten intense minutes both fighters were exhausted, although Margaret took the worse beating. Her hair had untangled into blonde mass that were flowing down onto her chest, and her arms were sore after relentless locks and submissions. She would not surrender, and her eyes were telling her opponent she was not about to admit defeat.

"I believe we should end this fight," Yukimura suggested.

"Good idea, because I'm going to beat you!!" Margaret screamed a final battle cry and charged at Yukimura. Again, she miscalculated her steps and missed Yukimura, allowing him to grab her arm but instead of tossing her to the floor he pulled her towards his body. The female General found herself blushing at the fact that Yukimura was holding her in suggestive manners.

"Oniichan…?"

Yukimura grinned. "Technique always prevails over brute strength, Margaret," he said as he ran his hand down her cheek. (Female audience gasped at the gesture and started squealing as he leaned down until his face was an inch over hers. Male spectators, on the other hand, started cheering for the man for his bravery.) "And you've become more beautiful than ever, too. Let me admire the beauty for a while," he spoke.

"Don't make me do this!" Margaret kneed Yukimura on the groin and tossed him onto the floor hard. "You just want to take advantages over my weakness, _baaka_" she said and left the hall.

"At least you don't have to hit me here," Yukimura groaned as he was helped by the medical team. "Ouch. Watch it."

"I know the feeling, General," the medical officer said in tears. "I know, because I've gone through it many times with my girlfriend."

"Are you alright, General?" the female spectators asked as they surrounded the weary-looking Yukimura. "Did she hit you hard?"

"Don't worry about me, ladies," Yukimura assured.

-

-

Margaret headed towards the hangar. Her feeling reeled in both embarrassment and fury, and she did not like the fact that she had been humiliated in front of the soldiers. Having been trained to become the number one in everything, her emotions was torn between accepting the defeat in honour or deny her weakness and persist on training herself to become stronger.

She approached Alicia and climbed onboard the Real Trooper, disregarding the ground crews' yell that it was not yet combat-ready. She took no attention to the fuss and stayed inside the cockpit, feeling relaxed and at peace as she rested herself on the set.

"_Are you alright?"_

She shook her head. "I'm not," she murmured and began curling into a foetal position. "I mean… how can I be alright when Oniichan had disgraced me in front of the people?"

"_It must not be pleasant to be bested by your own kin, mustn't it?"_

"Thank you for the concern, Alicia," she answered. "I don't really want to talk about it right now."

"_Understood."_

Margaret closed her eyes. She was tired, and she needed to be refreshed before the end of the day. Yet she had something else to do before she called it a day. "Alicia, do me a favour and run database search," she spoke. "I need to know anything about the White Terror we had fought days earlier."

"_Yes, sir." _

Alicia ran data search on the subject and took a few seconds before it displayed the result on the screen. Margaret examined the information and learned more of the White Terror she had heard of a lot. "Kira Yamato… we shall settle our score sometimes…"

"_Is there anything else you need, sir?"_

"No. This should be enough." Margaret yawned and closed her eyes, making herself as comfortable in the confined space as possible. "Wake me up in two hours, please. I need to take a quick nap."

"_Have a sweet dream, sir."_

_Margaret smiled. "Thank you, Alicia."_


	12. Unite! All Fiery Spirits

**CHAPTER ****11  
****UNITE! ****ALL FIERY SPIRITS**

_/ __onboard Aeroscraft, en route to Las Vegas /_

"So we cancel our Alaska tour and have to visit the world's gambling heaven instead," said Excellen. "How's that for Team ATX Tour?"

"Miss Excellen, you're worried that we may not be able to concentrate on our mission," Lamia said.

"Just calm down," Kyosuke told her. "There are reasons we're redirected to Las Vegas. We just need to wait for the news to come over."

"You're using that excuse to fulfil your gambling addict. Again," Excellen jeered, causing Kyosuke to cough slightly in unease at the statement. "But come to think about it, me and Kyosuke… together having wine for dinner…"

"Alright! Lunch's served," Sakura announced her arrival as she brought the dishes. "Sorry for the delay, but it was hard using cooking all the foods in quickest time." Everybody praised Sakura for the foods she was serving, and was pleased to have done some deeds to restore their morale.

"This is nice!" Excellen cooed after taking a bite of the steak. "It reminds me a lot of Rätsel-san's meal, but much simpler in looks."

Sakura smiled at the warm response. "Well, everyone, as my mother often says to her guests: _bon appetite_."

"That one looks quite tasty," Takeru asked when he saw a bowl containing never-seen-before meal. He took a piece of the macaroni-shaped meat, munched it and found himself liking it. "Tastes like chicken. A bit tough, but… what's this?"

With the most innocent smile anyone could see Sakura answered: "wood grubs." In an instant everyone at the dining hall fell off the table, apparently stunned by the "exotic dish" they were having. The Shura God found himself at loss of words; even so for the Pistoleros, except for Takeru who immediately feasted upon the meal ("exotic food? It's nothing; I'll eat anything as long as it tastes good," he answered Excellen's question on his debatable craving.)

"It's my family's specialty," Sakura added. "My grandmother learned it from her foster family in North Borneo. She said it's the best source of protein, and best of all:" She paused as to take a bite of the squishy meat. _"It tastes likes fried chicken."_

"How can people survive on grubs?" Amuro wondered and stared at the bowl in disbelief.

"We may need to dig in Sakura's files after this," Frieda said with silly giggles.

The diners' response became Sakura's concern. "Is the preparation not right?" she asked and noticed some of the people's weary expression. "Oh, dear. I might have put too much salt."

"How can I eat this?!" one of the crews interjected. "It's… horrible!!"

The exclamation made Sakura sulk. "You don't like the food I made…?" she murmured. "How… could… you? I've fought very hard to keep the ingredients as fresh as possible, and yet…"

"H-hold on! I didn't say I didn't like it!" The crew proved his words by eating a mouthful of the fried grubs, and he smiled widely at Sakura as he chewed on the seemingly indigestible food. "See? I like it so much I'm dying for more!" (A few seconds later he fell unconsciously, and had to be rushed to the medical room.)

Suzuki entered the dining hall but her presence was ignored by all but Lamia who wisely chose to constrain her appetite. "Save the meals for later, everyone," the eyeglasses doctor said. "We've received a distress signal from friendly units at Arizona desert. Kyosuke, can you lead your team to a rescue mission?"

Still reeling from the dish's effect, Kyosuke steadied his posture and shook his head. "Give me a couple of minutes to prepare Alt Eisen Riese," he answered with weary looks on his face.

Suzuki stared at Kyosuke, long enough for her to correct her eyeglasses and say: "you have a bad dining day from your look. Let me guess: Sakura's exotic dish."

"How did you know?" Excellen asked.

Suzuki corrected her eyeglasses again. "Trust me. Nobody expects Sakura's food inquisition."

"Nobody likes my food…" Sakura murmured. "Nobody…"

"More, please!" a delighted Takeru said. "I think I'm beginning to like Sakura's presence in the team."

"Really?" In an instant her face turned from gloomy to shiny, and her smile was as delightful as it was terrifying to the diners. "I promise I'll cook you the best meal in the whole world!"

"That only a mysterious gourmet will approve," Excellen pointed out.

_-x-x-x-x-x-_

_/ ten minutes later /_

The Aeroscraft arrived at the said location. Preparations were immediately done by all crews before the squads could be deployed. Everything was finished in record time, and Suzuki gave the awaiting squads the clearance signal.

"Assault 1, launching!"

"Assault 2, launching!"

"Hi-Nu Gundam, _ikimasu_!"

"Sylvia, ready!"

"Pistoleros 1, prepared to launch."

"Pistoleros 2, ready!"

The hatch door was opened, and Team ATX led the way as the squads left the Aeroscraft and headed to the desert. "Who would've thought we'd have a desert combat here of all places?" Excellen asked during the descent.

"_(Aeroscraft to all units. We received distress signal from a friendly unit one click to the north of your current position. Do you have any readings on your radar?)"_

"Negative, Aeroscraft," Amuro replied. "There's an intense radar jamming 500 metres ahead. We can't have clear readings."

"I spot them on my scope," Takeru reported. "Five heavy artillery units and seven mobile suits, confirmed to be Barrelions and Doms. They must be Green Sphere soldiers."

"_(__Attention to all units. Your mission is to have clear identification of the friendly unit. Don't let the enemy approach its position.)"_

"Copy that," Kyosuke answered. "We'll split up. Excellen and I will flank the enemy from the right. Folka and Lamia will engage them from left side. Frieda, can you provide support fire?"

The Pistoleros withdrew their sniper rifles. "Leave it to us, Kyosuke," Frieda answered.

"Amuro and Sakura will attack the enemy from the above," Kyosuke instructed.

"Roger!" both Amuro and Sakura replied.

"Everyone," Kyosuke said and prepared the Alt Eisen Riese's Revolver Bunker. "Let's move!"

The team split into several squads. The Apotheosised Ialdabaoth charged up and immediately fired energy balls at the Barrelions while the Angelg fired multiple Shadow Lances at the Doms. The Alt Eisen Riese and the Weiss Ritter moved on, the former firing barrages of claymores at the remaining Barrelions and the latter zipping around while firing its Oxtongue rifle at targets.

Sakura stayed close with Amuro as they went airborne. "Hope I can get through this," she said and began arming the Sylvia's weapon.

"If Bright heard that he would've slapped you on the face," Amuro reminded. "You don't want to piss him with your pessimism."

"Sorry," Sakura apologized.

"_Master, incoming attack at three o'clock."_

"Dodge!" The Sylvia dodged (Amuro did the same), and Sakura responded by firing Raging Heart at the GS Gespenst Mark II-Ms. "That was close!"

"_Master, I suggest that __we eradicate the enemy before they can threaten us."_

"I don't intend on letting them free anyway," Sakura answered as the Sylvia positioned itself in front of the grunts. "But Sylvia, what was that suggestion for?"

The Alt Eisen Riese and the Weiss Ritter approached the "friendly unit" they were instructed to meet. They could not be more surprised to learn it was the Daimos, and the giant robot was not in good condition after holding itself against the Green Sphere for almost half an hour/

"Assault 1 to Aeroscraft, we've approached target area," Kyosuke reported.

"Copy that, Assault 1." Suzuki contacted the Daimos. "This is Doctor Franklin from the Centaur-Hanagami Heavy Industries," she began the conversation. "Can you hear me?"

"Suzuki! I knew it was you," a surprised Kazuya Ryuzaki answered.

"Yes, I got your message," Suzuki replied. "Sorry to take that long. We've had to reschedule our flight."

"You know each other quite well," Excellen cooed. "Looks like we're going to have a massive reunion party after this."

"It's still too early to jump to the conclusions," Kyosuke reminded. "What happened?"

"Both Suzuki and I have been tracking the Green Sphere for three days," Kazuya said. "They stole a prototype from the research centre and we're given the order to retrieve it."

"The information is classified," Suzuki interfered before Kyosuke could ask. "But to be blunt, the Green Sphere learned of the company's new mecha line-up and they've since then tried to steal it."

"Another stealing?" Excellen asked. "When will the madness ever stop?"

"I only managed to recover the blueprints and the core, but they fled with the whole unit before I could retrieve it," Kazuya continued. "Suzuki, you sure you only need the blueprints and the core?"

"They can do whatever they want with the mecha, but they won't go anywhere with the core absent," Suzuki assured.

"I see. And who are these two, if I may ask?" Kazuya asked as he turned to Team ATX.

"I'm Excellen, and this is Kyosuke. Pleased to meet you." Their conversation was cut short when GS reinforcements were detected to the west of the position. "Aw! Why must they trash our chatters?" Excellen moaned.

"I'm not sure if Daimos can hold up after the long fight," Kazuya wondered.

"Then we don't have any excuse to stay," Kyosuke said.

"Kyosuke, can't we have fun for a while?" Excellen asked. "It wouldn't hurt to let Weissy shoot some stuffs, would it?"

"I won't be responsible for the damage you may create," Kyosuke warned.

"You're just being mean," Excellen mumbled.

-  
The last of the GS Gespensts was left to explode in the air. The Sylvia and the Hi-Nu Gundam headed back to Team ATX's position, arriving about the same time the Angelg and the Apotheosised Ialdabaoth approaching them. "Miss Excellen! You okay?" Sakura asked.

"We're just getting warmed up," Excellen answered. "Give me some hands, will you?"

"Right away!"

"Some of us will have to escort Daimos back to Aeroscraft," Kyosuke said. "Sakura, Amuro, lead him back to the ship; we'll stay behind and delay the enemy. Frieda, we need every piece of firepower over here."

"Roger that," Frieda answered and reloaded the Beowulf's sniper rifle.

"I'm picking up several radar signatures to the south," Takeru reported. "They're heading towards the Aeroscraft!" None of the crews onboard Aeroscraft could respond because in less than seconds the aerial vessel was surrounded by Beastmen. Without any warning one of the Beastmen attacked Aeroscraft's bow gun turrets, while another Beastman attacked its ballast control.

"_Doctor Franklin, we're losing altitudes!"_

"_Divert all power output to the shock absorbers!"_

"_Roger, Doctor. Preparing the shock absorbers…"_

"_All stations! Prepare for emergency landing!"_

Aeroscraft landed on its belly with a loud bang. Before ATX Team could return to the grounded ship they were ambushed by Beastmen that came seemingly out of nowhere. The GS grunts were also attacked by the Beastmen, and all hell broke loose as the battle turned into a free-for-all.

"It's different from the grunts!" Takeru shouted and dodged a Beastman's attack. "Miss Frieda! Behind you!"

"These are not the Green Sphere! What are they?" Excellen gasped.

"Whatever the case is, they don't appear to like us or the Green Sphere," Kazuya said and kicked a Beastman out of the way.

"You piss me off!" Folka roared and began powering himself and the Apotheosised Ialdabaoth up. "I shall show you the path for eternal pain!!"

"The Aeroscraft has fallen! Capture it!" Disregarding the marauding Beastmen, the remaining GS grunts braved themselves to approach the damaged Aeroscraft but were blocked by the Sylvia. "You again! Back off, or we shoot!"

"I'll shoot you if you ever approach Aeroscraft!" Sakura replied and fired Raging Heart at the grunts. The rest of the grunts fired away, and the Sylvia dodged only to be struck by a spear tossed by a Beastman. The giant robot crashed but not before Sakura commanded it to fire a Divine Buster at the Beastman, instantly vaporizing it in thin air.

"Sakura!" Excellen gasped.

"I'm fine!" Sakura groaned. "I just don't like being treated like a total moron!"

"_Damage status is minimal. I am still operational."_

"I need every piece of your power," Sakura said. "Come on, Sylvia! Let's beat the crap out of them!"

"_Yes, Master."_

More and more Beastmen were spawning from all across the desert, and it seemed to be the end for the combatants' day as the unknowns aggressively ganged up at them from all directions possible. Realizing their tactical disadvantages due to the unexpected interference the Green Sphere had fled the battlefield, leaving ATX Team and the grounded Aeroscraft to face the Beastmen alone.

"Who the hell are they anyway?!" Folka barked and parried a Beastman's spear thrust. "Eat this! _Shin! HAKOUKEN!!"_

"_Reppu! SEIKENZUKI!!"_ With a well-aimed uppercut (that followed Double Blizzard) the Daimos, despite its condition, managed to send one Beastman to its skyward end and it turned to the rest of the horde, armed to the teeth.

"If we can't beat them, be them!" Excellen said as she fired away the Oxtongue Rifle's E-Mode at a row of Beastmen. "What am I talking of anyway?"

"I'm picking up new radar signature!" Takeru reported. "It's headed towards us at bearing 225!"

"Is it the enemy?" Lamia asked.

Everybody's guess was wrong, because instead of more Beastmen they were greeted by the sight of the mighty Dancougar, flying fast towards the battlefield. Fujiwara Shinobu immediately manoeuvred the giant robot to attack the Beastmen from its position and-

"_**YAAAATTEYARUZE!"**_

The Dancougar fired the Dan-Kuu-Hou onto the Beastmen, blasting through them as if they were made of paper. The confusion created by the Beast Squad allowed the Alt Eisen Riese and the Apotheosised Ialdabaoth to launch decisive attack against the Beastmen, and Amuro deployed the Fin Funnels to push them further away.

"That attack missed!" a non-satisfied Yuuki Sara said.

"Missed? It was a direct hit," Shinobu answered. "You only said that to anger me, didn't you?"

"Wow! When I thought we'd be toast here," Excellen exclaimed.

"_Doctor Franklin, we've repaired the ballast tank! We can now retreat!"_

"Kyosuke! Tell everybody to get back to Aeroscraft," Suzuki informed. "We're out of here!"

"Are we going to break through the enemy perimeter?" Takeru asked.

"It seems so," Frieda answered.

"Not if I can help it!" The Sylvia walked to the front and started charging up Raging Heart. It at first started in small size but the magenta-coloured energy orb increased in size and intensity. "_Ikuyo_, Sylvia!"

"_I am ready to be fired."_

"_**Divine… BUSTER!!"**_

-x-x-x-x-x-

_/ fifteen minutes later, back onboard Aeroscraft /_

The whole Aeroscraft task force began to learn more about the Green Sphere's activities in North America. The organization had already established their stronghold in the continent and was awaiting cue signals from the supreme leaders to commence their operations (as the stealing of the prototype had proven). They also learned that the Beast Squad had been helping the North American resistance in campaigns against the Green Sphere, but lately the situation had not been favouring the resistance.

"To make matters worse, we were wiped out by the Green Sphere's General from the start," Alan Igor continued. "Only the Beast Squad and a handful of resistance managed to escape, and we have to take refuge in Arizona until it's safe to continue our operation."

"That doesn't sound very good," Frieda said.

"Indeed. We were going to leave when the Beastmen attacked," Shinobu continued. "None of the resistance ever made it in one piece."

"I don't like to hear that already," Takeru said.

"Anyway, I think this is the great time for all of us to have reunion party," Excellen said as to ease the atmosphere. "And thanks to Sakura, we all get to gather as one big group."

"That was the most intense attack I've seen," Amuro pointed out. "In one attack it wiped out practically everything on its path. None was spared, if I have to describe it."

Shinobu nodded. "It's roughly on par with the Dan-Kuu-Hou," he said.

"Yeah, but you missed," Sara jeered.

"It was a direct hit!" Shinobu insisted.

Sakura found herself at the centre of attention. "I… I don't know what else to say, though I'm flattered by the praises," she said. "I know! Let me show you my gratitude-"

"Sakura, you've done much for today," Suzuki said as she patted her shoulder. "Take a rest. You know you need it."

"But I thought Miss Excellen said we're going to have a party," Sakura inquired.

"The party can wait. Right now, all of us need to rest before we can continue our mission." Suzuki later turned to the Pistoleros who had earlier caught her intention. "Major Hartman, please kindly accompany Sakura to the restroom until she gets enough rest."

"With all my pleasures," Frieda nodded. "Takeru, come. I believe both of us also need to have adequate rest, aren't we?"

"Certainly, Miss Frieda!" the overjoyed Takeru answered.

The moment the Pistoleros brought Sakura out of the hangar all but Kazuya and the Beast Squad had a very deep sigh of relief. "Thanks a lot, you know," Excellen said.

"I just did what I could to prevent unwanted casualties onboard," Suzuki said and corrected her eyeglasses. "Can't afford to have the medical team occupied during unwanted situations."

"Wow, what did we miss?" Alan asked.

"_It's best that you don't__ ask that right now," Lamia answered._


	13. Crossroads part I

SUPER ROBOT WARS LW

**CHAPTER ****12**

**CROSSROADS (PART I)**

_/ unknown location /_

The atmosphere was hostile. None of the participants inside the meeting room had anything to say; even if they did, it would create even more hostilities. The guests were an unwelcome sight for the council as they were not from anywhere in Earth; their physical presence alone sparked concern among the people.

Finally the chairman broke the silence. "It appears our… guests from the _other dimension_ haven't said anything since they arrived," he spoke, the Persian cat sitting comfortably on his lap.

One of the guests hissed. "I have no intentions of saying anything to you lowly monkeys," said Viral. "And I will never cooperate with the likes of you. Never in my entire life."

The chairman smirked. "I believe I know how to persuade you," he said and bent forward. "That red robot… you're after it, aren't you?" Viral glared at the chairperson, as if saying "how the hell?" The chairman chuckled at his look of pure shock and showed him a satellite photo of Gurren Lagann pummelling grunt units during Green Sphere raid at EFA's Mongolian base.

"Bastard!" Viral barked. "Nobody gets him until I DO!" (The pet cat hissed as a response, its furs standing erect in hostility at the Beastman.)

The chairman cackled. "Have no worry, my dear… guest. We have no intentions of capturing the weapon. Yet." The answer caused Viral to snarl in disgust, and the chairperson merely asked him to keep the anger 'for another day'. "Besides, we already have our own weapon of terror at our disposal. The time just isn't right to use it."

Viral had his eyebrow batted upward. "I don't have time for your ramblings."

"Of course you don't have to," the chairperson replied with a mocking smile. "After all, the decision isn't final until your leader's given his answer himself."

"Why would he consider cooperating with you? Your business with this world has nothing to do with us," Viral spoke.

"Perhaps, but then the situation may prove otherwise," the chairman pointed out. "We'll see."

The meeting ended without any resolutions achieved by both sides. Viral and the Beastman that had been accompanying him left meeting room, all while the chairman put an eye on them. "The Spiral Knights… their arrival to this universe has been… foreseen," he murmured. "Too bad _he_ doesn't want to share his prophecies with us. Perhaps it isn't just the right time."

"Mister Chairman, the Central Asian Division is on your channel," his assistant informed.

"Right." He rotated the chair as to face the wall-mounted screen, his hand continually petting the cat. "Bring them in." Seconds later, representatives of the said division appeared onscreen and began their discussion with the chairman.

"So you have decided to proceed with Project Linked Core? I'm very surprised it took you this long," the chairman said at the end of the discussion.

"_We regret the delay, Mister Chairman, but our candidate needs more time to adjust himself with the RSM unit,"_ the representative answered.

"Ah, yes. The overly complicated Synchronization," the chairman noted. "I can see the reason. Do not worry if it takes lots of your time, but be aware that we are facing very strong enemy. Please remember that."

"_We understand, Mister Chairman,"_ the representative said. _"Mister Chairman, we also have identified the second Candidate but we need to analyze her Synchronization capability. What is your advice?"_

"Do whatever you feel you must do," the chairman said. "The decision is in your hand, isn't it?"

"_Understood, Mister Chairman."_

The discussion ended after both sides reached a consensus regarding the LPC candidates. The chairman finally let go off his pet cat, which jumped off his lap onto the desk, and leaned into the comfort of his chair. "It will not be long before the time comes…" he murmured and went to sleep.

-x-x-x-x-x-

_/ twenty miles to the northeast of Grand Canyon /_

"You're serious about this? I understand; I'll inform them immediately. I've taken care of the loss. Yes, I know, but they've taken care of the enemies for us, too. Please, don't worry too much about us. I know. Thanks, dad. We'll talk again later."

The phone was hung up. Suzuki leaned into the chair and took a deep breath. It had been very hectic days for her as Centaur-Hanagami's vice director, and she was certain the rest of the crews shared the same feeling. On top of that, eight weeks had passed since they left Sapporo and they had encountered much stuff together. The Centaur-Hanagami might not have been a proper military organization, she thought, but at least those who worked in it had mutual sense of responsibility towards each other.

Suzuki left her desk and headed to the hangar. Upon arrival, Kyosuke was seen having discussion with the Pistoleros, while Excellen and Lamia were consulting Sakura on her combat style. She approached them and conveyed the message her father had asked her to relay. "In other words we're asked to meet the Archangel over Grand Canyon in ten minutes," she said.

"Good to see them coming here," Frieda nodded.

"As for other relevant information, Major Kitamura is with them. They'd picked him up at Pearl Harbour following the assault," Suzuki continued.

"Cool! We haven't met Kai for a very long time," Excellen said. "Wonder how he's doing."

Amuro approached the people. "Bright contacted me a while ago. He wants me to report in ASAP," he said. "So that means I'll have to head back to White Base."

"When I thought I could learn more from Senior Amuro," Sakura dejectedly sighed.

"It's going to be lonely without his presence," Lamia noted. "But I'm sure Sakura has learned a bit from him." (Shyly Sakura giggled at the mention and cupped her flushed cheeks.)

"Don't worry about that. I'll be back as soon as possible," Amuro assured.

After the Hi-Nu Gundam left the Aeroscraft with the Pistoleros acting as escort, the remaining crews concentrated on establishing contact with the Archangel. Several minutes later both task forces met up at rendezvous point over Grand Canyon, where ATX Team was despatched to greet the battleship. The Alt Eisen Riese, the Weiss Ritter, the Angelg and the Sylvia were about to approach the Archangel when Aeroscraft radar operator warned them of approaching enemy. "Confirmed enemy identification as GS Gespensts and Barrelions!" the female operator said. "ATX Team, please intercept!"

"What about the rest?" Kyosuke asked.

"We need a bit more time to prepare their launch," the radar operator answered. "Archangel, can you provide us backup?"

"Archangel to Aeroscraft, we'll deploy our units now," Murrue replied. "Launch Strike Freedom and Infinite Justice!" The Mobile Suits (that had been docked at the launch station prior to the arrival) took off and joined force with ATX Team; Kai and Mwu followed later on onboard their respective mechas.

"What a meeting," Excellen exclaimed as the quartet approached ATX Team. "Though we get to be reunited with Kai after all."

"We don't have much time for chatters," Kyosuke reminded (much to Excellen's usual ire).

"That doesn't sound very encouraging from the Beowulf," Mwu said. "Why don't you go a bit _easy_ on her?"

"See? Even he agrees with me!" Excellen grumbled.

"Captain! We have unauthorized launch from the hangar!" Archangel technician reported.

"What? Who?" Murrue asked.

"Hello, everyone!!" ATX Team could not believe what they had heard (as so was the rest onboard the Aeroscraft) and were even surprised to see the sight of pink Astelion launching from the Archangel. "It's such a wonderful and beautiful day, isn't it?"

"_Ibis, you're going to kill yourself!!"_

"Oh, Wendy, you're worried of my incapability to face combat," the voice giggled, even as the Astelion was charging at the northern GS grunts. "See? They don't call me Ibis the Shooting Star for nothing! Yee-haw!"

"Is that Ibis? Ibis we know wouldn't charge at the enemy alone," Excellen said.

"Any idea about _this_ Ibis, Major?" Kyosuke asked.

"I'm afraid explanations will only make matters more confusing," Kai answered.

"None of us could believe it," Mwu continued. "And I'm quite sure none of you ever will."

"Miss Excellen! Are we supposed to let the Astelion do all the works alone?" Sakura asked.

"Right; we almost forgot," Kyosuke said.

"More enemy units from twelve and five o'clock!" Aeroscraft radar operator reported.

"The usual day has come, it seems," Kai said and armed the double Jet Magnums. "Kyosuke, lead your team to help that _Ibis_. Kira, Athrun, Mwu and I will take on the southern wave."

"Roger," Kyosuke replied and brought the Alt Eisen Riese into the mayhem ahead. "Let's see if you can dodge this old giant," he said and fired Claymore Avalanche at the oncoming Gespensts.

"Hey! You didn't even bother waiting for me," Excellen moaned and fired the Oxtongue Rifle, followed by Sakura who fired Divine Shooters at the enemy. "Wow! Nice shot, Sakura!"

The Alt Eisen Riese dodged a GS Gespenst's Jet Magnum and counterattacked with a head-butt of its Plasma Horn. The super PT dodged another Jet Magnum and impaled its Revolver Bunker into the Gespenst, kicking it out of the way before reloading its cartridges. Once a while, it jumped off the ground before coming back to crush the grunts with its sheer weight.

"Kyosuke-san is really good at melee combat, isn't he?" Sakura cooed and squealed when a Barrelion found its target. "That was a close call!" she gasped after she dodged.

"Don't lose your focus, Sakura," Lamia reprimanded and turned the Angelg at the grunts. "Preparing weapons… take this! Shadow Lance!"

"Isn't that Angelg?" SM Ibis exclaimed when she noticed the Angelg. "Awesome! I've wanted to see it up close!" She looked front to see several Gespensts rushing towards her with plasma blades. "You never want to love an idol, do you?" she shouted and fired all the missiles.

"This one is nuts!" one grunt shouted after his Gespenst got shot.

"Hey! Who are you calling nuts!?" SM Ibis grumbled and charged at the grunts with Sonic Breaker.

"Say, Kai," Excellen asked while reloading the Oxtongue Rifle. "What does the Green Sphere really want from this war?"

"I have no idea, Excellen," Kai answered and snatched a Barrelion before slamming it into the ground judo style. "What all of us do know is that they're terrorists. Terrorists are terrorists."

"Or so we think they are," Mwu added. "We'll talk about it later once we're done with this."

"Okay, whatever you say," Excellen shrugged and turned to the GS Barrelions. "Alright, then. Who wants to have taste of pain with the capital letter P?"

More and more GS grunts were approaching westward and the task force was pressed to work very hard in keeping them at bay. Even after the deployments of the Apotheosised Ialdabaoth, the Beast Squad and the Daimos the vast numbers of the grunts seemed to be unstoppable. "Those bastards! They always like to outnumber us!" Athrun barked.

"You maggots are helpless against Shura Gods!!" Folka roared.

"You people piss me off!" Shinobu shouted. "Eat this Dan-Kuu-Hou! _**YAAAATTEYARUZE!!"**_

"Let's go, Daimos!" Kazuya commanded and opened battle stance.

"I have you now!" Lamia shouted and deployed the Angelg's bow. "Limiter released! Take this! PHANTOM PHOENIX!"

"_Master, I suggest that we use full force to repel the enemy."_

"Good idea, because seriously," Sakura said and loaded the Raging Heart. "I've grown tired of the Green Sphere already. Eat this! DIVINE BUSTER!!" In one shot half of the grunts were wiped out from the sky, but Sakura was not about to let it end in the attack. "Let's go, Sylvia!"

"_Yes, Master."_

And Wendy's only concern was of SM Ibis' safety. "Van! Do something! Van!!'" she begged.

Van turned to her. "What's wrong with you?" he asked.

"Look! If she gets shot- or anything happens to her, are you just going to sit and do nothing?" Wendy barked.

Van sighed. "Oh, alright. I get your point." Lazily he left the bridge and headed to the dock. He took a bit of time observing the battle, ignoring the guards who told him to get back inside. He turned his cowboy cap, and made a V-sign with the liquid metal sword. As if on cue Dann descended towards the Archangel, smoothly landing onboard, where Van immediately climbed onboard the mecha.

"_Wake up, Dann." _

The appearance of the Armour brought everybody into surprise. With the exception of the Archangel, none of the Aeroscraft crews had expected to see a personal trooper that exotic, and before anyone could react Dann pounced towards Astelion Custom to slice an attacking Gespenst.

"I didn't see that coming!" SM Ibis gasped.

Dann flip-kicked the Gespenst into the ground. "I'll lose my free meal if you ever get shot down," Van told SM Ibis. "You better be careful."

"T… thanks for saving me," SM Ibis said.

"What? Free meal? Van! Is that ALL you've got in your mind!?" Wendy scolded over the radio.

"That's one awesome mecha!" Excellen exclaimed. "Where did it come from?"

"Wow, what a wicked move," Sakura said in awe.

"That mecha is different from anything I know," Lamia noted.

Several rounds later Dann stood victorious, GS units scattered around the canyon like scrap metals. Van shrugged and took a deep breath of relief before made landfall on the cliff. "That was better than I thought," he shrugged. "Though I have to jump back and forth between here and there a lot."

"Van! I'm going to yell at you once you get back!" Wendy shouted.

"Oh? Sweet Wendy is very concerned of the slacker already," SM Ibis teased. "I'm so happy to hear that. Just like what a wife should do to her beloved hubby."

"I'm not!" Wendy cried in denial. "Hey! I'm NOT his wife! Quit jumping into stupid conclusions already!"

"You two…" Van sighed.

"Unidentified mecha at 12 o'clock!" Sai reported. "It's using teleportation! All units stay alert!"

Out of nowhere a mecha teleported into the battlefield, landing (surprisingly) close to where Dann was standing. "Well done," the newcomer said with handclaps heard. "As the supervisor of Green Sphere North American Division (in an instant everybody flinched at the mention of the name) I am amazed that such a small task force is capable of surviving my battalion's onslaught."

"Hmm… I don't know what you're talking of," Van said, seemingly unsurprised by the mecha's appearance. "I don't have any interest in fighting you for now. My concern is my job as her bodyguard."

"Oh, how responsible of you," he said in mocking tone. "It's fine. I didn't have any intention of having armed confrontation with you or anyone else. For now."

The Aeroscraft team had identified the newcomer as the stolen Ark Raider prototype. The news did nothing to please Suzuki; in fact what hurt her most was the fact that Centaur-Hanagami's masterpiece was being used by the enemy.

"I like this machine," the newcomer said and test-fired the prototype's equipments (the shot missed the Archangel, but the deliberate act had offended the task force). "It is unfortunate my task is to test-pilot it. And besides, long-range combat isn't exactly my specialty. My Javelin is _better_, _longer_ - and definitely _penetrates deeper_ - than this." (SM Ibis, Wendy and Sakura found themselves blushing at the thought of _'better, longer and penetrates deeper'_.)

"_General Macbeth, return__ to base. We need you to file your report on the Prototype."_

"Roger." Turning back to face Dann, he waved a simple farewell salute and teleported, leaving Dann and the rest of the teams behind. No attempt to chase after Ark Raider was made as Suzuki was still in fury, and none of her subordinates had anything to say to their chief.

"No enemy units are detected," Sai reported. "Captain?"

Murrue nodded. "All units abort operation. Anyone who needs to repair their mechas can do so onboard Archangel. Aeroscraft, do you read?"

After a bit of hesitation, Suzuki replied: "yes, Archangel. We're coming."

-x-x-x-x-x-

_/ Archangel mess hall /_

"Another Hagane?"

Kai nodded. "This time, they brought in their aces. Two of them, actually." He paused as to sip the tea before he continued. "I'm sure any of you has heard of the Back Huckebein. It's been confirmed that its pilot is working with the Green Sphere."

"If my memory serves me correct, that's the rumoured unit that destroyed the entire patrol squad at Siberia," Kyosuke said.

"That is correct," Kai agreed. "It was also responsible for the fall of the RT Pacific Division, though it didn't trash the HQ thanks to the Shuffle Alliance. I'm still wondering of who the pilot of the Sword Strike was. He seemed to know about me."

"What about the mysterious guy? Doesn't anyone of you have any idea of who he is?" Excellen asked.

"We don't," Murrue answered. "But if what he said of being the North American Division advisor is true, then we can't take his possible threat for granted, given that he has mobilized his troops around the continent."

"I see," Kyosuke said. "At the very least we get to know some of the henchmen."

"By the way, you aren't going to introduce us to the new pilot, are you? She's got quite a skill. We'd like to know her," Mwu said. Kira nodded; he, too, had notified the Sylvia's prowess and wondered if they could meet on friendship basis.

"She's at the hangar," Excellen answered (much to Mwu and Kira's disappointment). "I think she's repairing the giant robot with Suzuki right now."

"Hangar? But I thought I saw her at the kitchen with the Idol and the pigtailed girl," Masato corrected.

"Kitchen?" Excellen's lower jaw dropped low at the word 'kitchen'. "Don't tell me!"

"Alright, folks! Meal is ready!" Sakura announced as she entered the mess hall with SM Ibis and disgruntled-looking Wendy. "Today's menu is durian ice-cream and pickled mangos! Very recommended to those who have sweet tooth, if you don't mind its smell."

"What is that smell?" Miri asked and covered her nose.

"It's like rotten eggs thrown into old shoe with skunk pees poured over it," Shinobu said.

"Reminds me to buy the anti-odour formula I found on the 'Net," Mwu added.

In an instant the mood changed. As it had been onboard the Aeroscraft, the diners' response did nothing more than to make Sakura sulk. "Sigh, when I thought I could do something to refresh everybody's morale," she mumbled. "Wish Takeru-kun was here to compliment…"

"Come on, guys! Don't make our cute chef cry," SM Ibis urged. "I had tasted it once, and it's really good." As to prove her words the Idol took a scoop of the ice-cream into her mouth and nodded in approval. "See? It doesn't taste bad at all," she said with a wink.

"That's because you like to eat anything sweet," Wendy retorted.

"Let me have it," Van said as he suddenly appeared behind the girls, which made them jump off their feet. Ignoring Wendy's dismayed cry he took the pickle and munched it for a few seconds. Then, in a reaction that certainly startled everybody he shouted in ecstasy: "DELICIOUS!!"

"This girl is also a chef? That's a surprise," Kira said when he was offered a cup of the ice-cream by Sakura (Athrun and Mwu backed away, leaving only Lacus to see his reaction). "Oh, thanks." He ate the ice-cream and what the duo had feared became reality: the Ultimate Coordinator falling unconscious without prior warning.

"Already?" Lacus sighed at the sight of the fainted Kira.

"And that's just one scoop of it," Athrun said with shudders.

"Oh, dear. I think I put in too much durian in it," Sakura said and scratched the back of her head.

"I begin to wonder if she can end the war with her culinary skill alone," Kai said. "She's more suited to work with Rätsel onboard Kurogane."

"Major Kitamura, it's best that you don't mention the name right now," Lamia reminded.

"Why? You're expecting her to rule the world as a kitchen dictator?" Wendy asked.

"…" _was the people's only response._


	14. Crossroads part II

SUPER ROBOT WARS LW

**CHAPTER ****13**

**CROSSROADS (PART I****I)**

_/ __Mediterranean airspace, Middle East /_

"Well, never thought to be heading east instead of Chichen Itza," Ivan commented. "I've packed up for our jungle trip already."

"We're very sorry for the inconvenience," Tetsuya apologized. "But the Federations have given us the order to pursue the Green Sphere's Central Asian division."

"Oh? That's quite one story since my arrival," Ivan said. "This may make my stay worthwhile."

"I'll make sure everybody gets updated with the news on regular basis if possible," Tetsuya said turned to Ivan. "As for you, Mister…"

"Beckenbauer. Ivan is fine," Ivan introduced.

"-Ivan, right. We'll help you with your mecha, though your choice is at best questionable," Tetsuya said (Kobayashi Mai, who had been monitoring the radio channels for a while, nodded as to agree). "An Ashsaber? It's been a very long time since we saw one in action."

"What else can I say? I'm a secret agent," Ivan answered nonchalantly. "Besides, if you need more information, you better contact my boss. She can answer all the questions."

"Tetsuya, stop questioning him," Ibis pleaded. "He's here because he had saved us from the terrorists." This made both Tsugumi and Masaki beam (as well as Tetsuya who found himself arching an eyebrow in intrigue) at her in suspicion. "What? Just because he saved me once doesn't mean you can jump into conclusions already, jeez!" she barked.

"Ibis-chan has love affair?" Mai teasingly asked. "What's this story I've heard just now?"

"Mai! Stop it!" Ibis squealed.

Tetsuya coughed as to calm the nonsensical drama. "Anyway, apart from the Central Asian division, we've also been informed of the Green Sphere's secret project. We don't have any details about, but I believe it has something to do with an unknown technology they're using."

"Is it related to the Shadow Mirror?" Masaki guessed. (Ivan was flabbergasted when he heard the name "Shadow Mirror", and Ibis noticed the change of look on his face.)

"I don't believe the Shadow Mirror has connection with them, but it's a possibility," Tetsuya answered.

"Well, I guess the Green Sphere really has something up their sleeves," Lowe said. "Stealing, marauding, and conducting secret projects… what else don't they do yet?"

The alarm set off. Mai notified the bridge the Hagane had an incoming message, and Tetsuya ordered it to be played on the speaker. _"This is Inaba of Phantom Ensemble! If anyone receives this message, then get down here and save our ass!"_ the female voice barked.

"Hagane to Inaba, please pinpoint your exact location," Mai replied.

"_We're at coordinate B023-D014! Hurry up! The terrorists are closing in! We're __pinned down!"_

Mai turned to Tetsuya, who in turn nodded and ordered the crews to prepare battle stations. "Full speed ahead!" he commanded.

-x-x-x-x-x-

_/ Sinai Peninsula /_

"You're expecting to touch this?"

The Strike Noir dodged the GS Barrelion's shot and counterattacked with its double handguns. The black-coloured Mobile Suit made haste to the nearby cliff for cover, dodging more and more artillery shots from GS Barrelions. "Izayoi! Where the hell are you?!" the Strike Noir pilot asked.

"Do you think we're okay over here, Inaba?" a voice barked on the Mobile Suit's speaker. "Have you transmitted the message already? They're getting very close!"

"I already have!" The Strike Noir ducked low as to avoid an RPG fired from a Dom. "There's too many of them!"

"At this rate, we're going to be obliterated!" the voice from earlier barked. "Where the hell are the reinforcements?"

"I don't like this…" a timid voice was later heard.

"Konpaku! Stop acting coward! You know you can do it!" the loud voice reprimanded.

"I'm very sorry, Oneesama…" the timid voice apologized.

The Hagane arrived. Mai contacted the Phantom Ensemble and announced that they would send in reinforcements. "Hurry up! We can't hold on!" Inaba shouted.

"Admiral, the area's heavily defended with anti-air installations," one of the technicians reported. "We can't approach the intended coordination without facing heavy resistance."

"Looks like the team has to deploy ahead of us," Tetsuya said.

"Good for me, then," Ivan said as he boarded the Gouf Custom. "Just tell us what to do."

"Who or what is Phantom Ensemble?" Masaki asked after they deployed (launched together with the Cybuster were the Astelion AX, Lowe's Astray Red Frame and of course, Ivan's Gouf Custom).

"As far as I can remember, they're freelance paramilitary group with no relation or whatsoever with the Federations," Lowe answered. "They also have access to the Feds' exotic mecha - like that Strike Noir."

"So who's the leader here?" Ivan asked. "We haven't made a vote for this, have we?"

"_All units cut the chatters. We don't have much time to waste,"_ Mai warned. _"Go save the Phantom Ensemble. We'll try to provide cover from up here."_

"Lucky 13 to Mission Control, copy that," Ivan replied. "I guess I'll take the lead."

"_Just don't be careless, Lucky 13,"_ Mai reminded.

The Gouf Custom spearheaded the assault. Its appearance caused many of the grunts to jump off their feet in shock, and many of the grunts had no idea of what to do regarding the interference. "So, anyone asks for a bowlful of metal jacket?" Ivan asked.

"Who the hell are you?!" one of the grunts barked and fired a shot that completely missed the Gouf Custom.

"Look, if you're going to shoot," Ivan said and aimed the Gouf Custom's Gatling gun at the grunt. "You better make that shot hit every time. Otherwise-" He opened fire and the grunt was forced to eject as his Guarlion was shredded apart. "That's what will happen."

"This one isn't a pushover!" the rest of the grunts exclaimed and charged at the Gouf Custom.

"Hmm? Charging at a single opponent while disregarding the situation?" Ivan dodged the pounce and thrust the MS knife into one of the Guarlions, twisting and spinning the knife as to rupture the AM's inner side. "You're forgetting the very basic rule of battlefield: never leave your position unless necessary." He kicked the destroyed Guarlion into the ground and hastily took cover behind the cliff. "Ibis, are you there?"

"We're coming, Ivan!" Ibis replied. "Please hang on!"

"Good, because I need mutual support down here," Ivan said.

With the Gouf Custom and the Astelion AX taking care of the grunts, the Astray Red Frame approached the Strike Noir that was busy dodging the Barrelions. "Need help?" Lowe asked and cut an incoming beam with the MS-sized katana.

"You're from the Junk Guild, are you not?" Inaba asked and reloaded the dual handguns. "I don't have time for introduction, but your team better take us out of here. It's hell down here."

"Where's the rest of the ensemble?" Lowe asked.

"They're hiding at the hill back there," Inaba said and pointed to a nearby hill. "I can't approach them due to heavy radar jamming. Can you do the favour and meet them?"

"With Cybuster, they cannot touch me!" Masaki declared and dashed straight into the "radar jamming" territory. "You think you can jam Cybuster? I don't think so! Eat this: CYFLASH!!" In an instant half of the radar jammers were knocked out and more were decommissioned by the Cybuster's Ranbu no Tachi as the Masou Kishin zigzagged around the territory. "How's that?"

"Masaki! Watch out for the flak!" Shiro squealed.

The Cybuster dodged an exploding shell. In fury Masaki turned to the anti-air guns and fired multitudes of Caloric Missiles at the position. "You people just like to piss me off!"

"Mai! What's the radar status?" Ibis asked.

"We aren't detecting any enemy movements," Mai reported. "It appears they're not retreating like they usually do."

"That's so unlike them," Ivan said and turned his attention to the triple-As. "So will anyone of the ensemble explain their reason of presence here?"

"We can't tell you right here," Inaba said. "Not with these grunts shooting at us!"

"Inaba! We're getting surrounded over here! Aren't you coming to help?" Izayoi barked.

"Help's on the way, ladies," Ivan said after realizing the ensemble was made up of female pilots. He moved forward, dodging every attack the grunts were throwing at him and disabling any triple-A site he came across, and finally arrived at the said location. "Hello, there, ladies," he greeted and noticed that most of the Mobile Suits were the MP Gespensts, save a solo Sword Impulse Gundam. "That's weird. I thought there's supposed to be only one Impulse in existence."

"Goodness gracious me! It's a Gouf!" Izayoi gasped.

"Not just a Gouf, ladies," Ivan said and reloaded the Gatling gun. "This is Lucky 13's very own Gouf Custom, with special delivery of 3-in-1 metal jacket combo. Missiles not included."

"Didn't think he's one charmer," Tsugumi said. "Ibis, aren't you jealous to see him impressing the pilots?"

"Tsugumi! What in the world was that for?" Ibis moaned.

After ten minutes of intense closed quarter battle, the grunts along with the triple-As and the radar jammers had been neutralized. The remaining grunts fled the battlefield, and with no sign of reinforcements abound the Hagane moved in to meet up with the team and the Phantom Ensemble. Inaba explained the ensemble's presence in Sinai was for reconnaissance mission on the Green Sphere's anti-air installations in the area and they were about to leave when they were ambushed by the grunts.

"But still that doesn't explain why all of the ensemble pilots are females," Ivan added.

"I'm very sorry, but the information is classified," Inaba answered.

"Ivan, are you going to upset Love up here?" Tsugumi asked, in which Ibis cried foul at her for the teasing question. "See? She's doing that because she's concerned of you."

"Tsugumi!!" Ibis cried out.

"Hey, I was just asking," Ivan shrugged.

"Admiral! We're detecting an unusual radar signature!" the radar operator reported. "It's similar to a Huckebein Mark III!"

"What?" Tetsuya gasped.

Alicia appeared. Its presence wrecked havoc in the Phantom Ensemble and most of them immediately took cover behind the hill. Instead of jumping into the melee, the Real Trooper stood immobile on the hill as Margaret observed the situation down below. She was interested in the newcomers that had driven the remaining grunts away from the area. "Cybuster," she noted one of the mecha. "I've learned some about the Masou Kishin. I must be careful."

"_Viper 2, remember your order. Exterminate the Phantom Ensemble and anyone__ working with them."_

"Understood." Margaret closed her eyes, took a deep breath and stood up. "Alicia. Activate Direct Motion Link system. Set Linked Power Core output to 70 percent."

"_Yes, sir."_

Alicia jumped off the cliff and headed towards the Strike Noir, but the Cybuster already stood on its way before it could approach the Mobile Suit. "You think you have guts to attack us alone? You're a complete moron!" Masaki barked and tackled Alicia away from the Strike Noir.

"Cybuster is fast," Margaret noted. "Alicia, can you keep up with the pace?"

"_Yes, sir."_

"I see," Margaret said and opened a kung-fu stance, which was mimicked by Alicia. "Looks like we have to get rid of the minor interferences first."

"What kind of fighting style is that?" Ivan wondered. "Lowe, Masaki, Ibis, be careful. I believe we're dealing with a high-ranking officer here."

"Didn't anyone of you guys get it?" Inaba asked. "It's the Black Huckebein, for Pete's sake!"

"Black Huckebein? Isn't it the same Huckebein that had attacked Pearl Harbour?" Tsugumi asked.

Ibis frowned at the mention. "I only hope Major Kai is alright…"

Alicia pounced at the Cybuster. Masaki's reflex ensured the flying roundhouse missed and he retaliated with the Zephyr Sword that the black RT parried. Infuriated, Masaki fired Caloric Missiles at Alicia and continued with an Akashic Buster; the Huckebein Mark III dodged both attacks as if they were flies. "What the hell? Why all my attacks miss?" he barked.

"Masaki, don't underestimate the enemy," Tsugumi warned. "We don't know its capabilities."

"What do you expect I'm doing?" Masaki replied and charged back at Alicia. To his shock the Real Trooper dodged and delivered a roundhouse that sent the Cybuster crashing into the cliff. "This one's tougher than I thought!"

"_Sir, I'm __detecting huge energy reading. Confirmed to be similar to the one I had registered at Pearl Harbour."_

Margaret halted. "What?"

God Gundam made its appearance and dramatically landed on the cliff. "Black Huckebein!!" loudly Domon bellowed, his voice echoing through the desert in his prowess as the King of Heart. "You shall not escape!!"

"It's the Shuffle Alliance," Inaba said in relief. "Phantom Ensemble, it's our chance! Retreat!"

"I suggest that you head to the Hagane," Lowe told them. "We'll cover your escape route in the mean time."

"Understood," Inaba replied.

With the Phantom Ensemble retreating, all the team was left to do was to face the black Real Trooper. "I never knew I'd see the black Huckebein," Lowe said. "Though what is Domon doing here?"

"This Mark III is different from the one I've read about," Ivan noted. "It doesn't appear to have the ability to dock with Graviton Rifle. At least that's what I can see."

"Black Huckebein! You must be punished for your crime against the Shuffle Alliance!" Domon roared. "Prepare yourself!"

"What crime have I committed?" Margaret asked.

"Do not play ignorant, Black Huckebein! You know what you had done!" Domon replied.

Margaret frowned; it took her a while before she realized the reason. "Yes, I now remember," she spoke. "It was at the Guyana Highlands… Alicia and I were assigned on a training mission and we stumbled across the Shuffle Alliance…" She closed her eyes as to gather memories of the fated encounter. "They were strong and had proved themselves as worthy warriors, but in the end we prevailed."

"So you're admitting your crime, Black Huckebein?!" Domon screamed.

Margaret chuckled. "At least my order _wasn't_ to exterminate them," she said.

"_Domon, calm down! She's right; she didn't kill them back then,"_ Rain reminded.

"Enough saying! For what you had done against my friends, I the King of Heart, shall avenge their defeat!" Domon roared and charged his and God Gundam's power to its limit. _**"Ore no kono te ga makaani moeru! Shouryu o tsukameto todoroki sakebu!"**_

"_Sir, I am detecting a sudden influx of energy from the enemy."_

"I know," Margaret replied and opened stance. "Alicia."

"_Yes, sir. Accessing Combat Form Mode S."_

Alicia somersaulted just in time when God Gundam fired Sekiha Tenkyoken. The manoeuvre pissed Domon and in his negligence Margaret delivered a drop kick onto God Gundam. The King of Heart was pushed across the battlefield, amusing both the Hagane team and the Phantom Ensemble.

"Wow, what an attack," Ibis said.

"How can a Real Trooper do a drop kick? That's impossible," Tetsuya said.

Alicia disengaged from God Gundam and fired saturation missile at the Mobile Fighter as it escaped. _"Synchronization is 100 percent complete."_ In an instant the black Real Trooper got engulfed in silvery blue energy, and Margaret screamed a _kiai_ before tossed the fang slasher at God Gundam.

"_Sir, what about the Phantom Ensemble?"_

"Forget them right now," Margaret replied and caught back the returning fang slasher. "I have to concentrate on the King of Heart."

"_Understand."_

By now Domon had also invoked the _Clear Water, Still Mirror_. He pounced at Alicia, furiously delivering punches and kicks that the black Real Trooper parried and dodged. Occasionally Alicia took its turn and did the same onto God Gundam with equal speed and strength, pushing it far across the desert. Sometimes the two mecha warriors would fly-kick at each other in an epic cross-counter. ("What? No nuke at background?" Ivan commented.)

"Are we just going to leave them?" Ibis asked.

"If you want to barge in, forget it," Ivan reminded. "No one will survive that kind of fight. Like someone having knife fight inside phone booth."

"So you're suggesting to retreat?" Lowe asked. "You're the team leader, right? Then decide quickly."

By now the fight had reached its heated peak. Already thousands of kicks and punches had been delivered and parried, and yet neither Margaret nor Domon showed any sign of submitting. They had seemed to forget the reason of their presence and only wanted to defeat each other.

"_Sir, I'm detecting a friendly signature. __It's confirmed to be the a Sword Strike Custom."_

Margaret was surprised; what was Yukimura doing in Sinai? Wasn't he supposed to stay back at Queen Regent? In her neglect Domon seized the opportunity and charged his God Finger. "Where the hell are you looking at, Black Huckebein!?" Margaret looked up front and saw God Gundam rushing towards her, its palm extended to unleash the destructive power of God Finger.

"Shit! Alicia!"

Alicia crossed its arms at the very precise moment God Finger connected. In an instant both the Real Trooper and the Mobile Fighter were engulfed in bright golden yellow light as God Finger exploded and knocked both the MS-sized warriors away from each other. The attack had damaged Alicia's forearms, and in panic Margaret asked whether it was still operational.

"_Damage is manageable. I am still in operational condition."_

"How could I have neglected him?" Margaret growled.

"_Viper 2, you are not authorized to engage! Retreat immediately!"_

"I can still fight!" Margaret protested. "Let me have it!"

"That's enough, Margaret," Yukimura said as the Sword Strike Custom arrived. "Our order was to eradicate the Phantom Ensemble, not engage the Shuffle Alliance."

Margaret gritted her teeth. "I'm very sorry, General Yukimura," she replied in lament.

"We'll deal about this later. Return to ship." With dejected feeling Margaret complied with the order and returned to Queen Regent; Yukimura used the opportunity to turn to God Gundam and apologized for the fuss. "I do understand the sentiment you have for your defeated comrades, but it isn't the time to exact avenge onto the Heavenly Generals. Perhaps when our paths cross in the future?" The Sword Strike Custom made haste to the Queen Regent, leaving Domon in fury and frustration.

"Black Huckebein!!" Domon called out the name (Margaret halted at the Queen Regent's hatch door and turned back to God Gundam). "Mark my words! Our encounter shall not end without a final fight between us! Do you hear me?!"

Margaret paused. Then she turned on the communicator and spoke: "Very well, King of Heart. I, Heavenly General Margaret Testarossa, accept your challenge."

-x-x-

_/ twenty minutes later /_

"What's wrong with me fighting the King of Heart?!" Margaret demanded.

"_General Testarossa, __your order was to exterminate the Phantom Ensemble, not fight a Mobile Fighter,"_ the council spoke. _"You have broken the rule twice before, and the council is deeply not amused with the act."_

"But he attacked me first!" Margaret insisted. "I only did what was best to defend myself! What else could I have done?"

"Council, allow me to speak on her behalf," Yukimura said. "As you bureaucrats may realize, we onboard Queen Regent have our own set of rules. Only the chairman can say the final words for us, so I suggest that you stop judging us based on our independent act."

"_Independent or not, General Testarossa has broken __the rules of the Heavenly Generals,"_ the council pointed out. _"We will, however, put the sentence on hold until we hear advices from the Chairman. The next time this happens, you will find yourself out of luck."_

The video conference terminated. Both Yukimura and Captain Kidd turned to see Margaret trembling in both humiliation and anger. "It was that close…" she grumbled and punched the table. "It was THAT CLOSE!!"

"Calm down, Margaret," Captain Kidd said.

"How can I ever calm down when I've almost won?!" she cried out and punched the table for the second time.

Without listening to his or Yukimura's advice she left the bridge and headed back to her room. Everybody else inside the bridge looked back at their captain, who then shrugged and turned to Yukimura. "She should be lucky you decided to interfere," he said. "If she kept on fighting she would exceed her Synchronization limit."

"I know," Yukimura sighed. "I don't want what happened to the Candidate to repeat on her. But what must I do, Captain? She's very upset for not defeating the King of Heart and she doesn't want to talk with anyone."

"Obviously, Yukimura, it's the way of the warrior," Captain Kidd noted. "A warrior will not see himself as a glorious warrior until he defeats his opponent in combat. You do take note of that every time you train her, don't you?"

-x-x-x-x-x-

_/ Hagane mess hall /_

"That was an intense battle," Ivan noted. "Those grunts were surely inexperienced this time, from what I could see."

"At least we got to meet their superior officers," Lowe added. "I notice two of them, actually. The black Huckebein and, if I'm correct, the Sword Strike pilot."

"That means the big boss has got to be somewhere around," Ivan said.

"I agree. We mustn't let our guards down," Lowe added. "Though why is Domon here?"

Everyone else turned to the King of Heart who let out an exasperated sigh. "So she admitted she defeated the Shuffle Alliance," Domon murmured, "but why had she spared them? What was her purpose?"

"Whoever she may be, she's not to be underestimated," Lowe said. "Especially since she's the infamous Black Huckebein. Luckily she didn't kick our ass, though she got to pawn Masaki that good."

"I heard that!" Masaki retorted.

"What about them?" Ibis asked and gestured to the Phantom Ensemble who was having lunch with the company of an uncomfortable Masaki and his two feline familiars. The Masou Kishin was heard mumbling in anger at what Alicia had done to the Cybuster, although it did not receive serious damage.

"They'll be leaving; that's what their leader told me. That's too bad, because I didn't get to know them further," Ivan said and noted the girls waving at him in silly manners. "At least I like their fighting style, especially the Strike Noir girl. Double handguns for the win." He waved back to the girls, in which Ibis was mischievously elbowed by Tsugumi for "not doing something about Ivan".

"We've got a message from the Tesla-Liecht Institute," Tetsuya said as he approached the congregation. "They've acquired the new portable weapon prototype they had recovered from the Federation's Mongolian HQ, and want us to pick it up."

Ivan found himself grinning widely when he heard the news. "Portable weapon? Oh, yeah…" was all he said, which invited several curious looks upon him. "Forgive my enthusiasm for big guns," he apologized and again waved to the Phantom Ensemble, which received schoolgirl-like response from them; only Inaba, her timid swordswoman colleague and another pilot named Orin took no notice of the antics as they were talking with Shiro and Kuro.

"You make it sound so questionable," Ibis retorted with an eyebrow raised.

Ivan beamed at the Shooting Star. "Well, try saying it out loud for me." The answer caused Ibis to fume at him in anger and the people to laugh at her. "Like I said, Ibis is Love needs to behave like a good girl."

"Stop calling me Ibis is Love!!" Ibis moaned.

"And to makes things better, we're asked to team up with the Great Gurren Brigade," Tetsuya continued (which certainly did its charm in raising questions among the people). He noticed the confusion and stated that their questions best be answered after meeting the brigade. He, then, turned to Domon. "We hope that you'd stay with us onboard," he said. "Your presence will greatly reinforce the troops' morale."

Domon looked at Rain, who then nodded as to encourage him. He turned back to Tetsuya and said: "I still need to chase after the Black Huckebein, but if anything comes across our path then I'll honourably lend my strength," he said.

Tetsuya thanked Domon for the offer and turned to the Phantom Ensemble. "Well, it's supposed to be Inaba who makes the decision," one of the girls who introduced herself as Izayoi said, "but if she wants to stay with you then we're more than willing."

"We're supposed to report back to our boss after the mission, but I don't see any problem staying onboard the Hagane," Inaba stated. "After all, we can use this opportunity to have hot water bath. The desert is surely a dry place."

"Uh-huh," Izayoi added and rubbed the skin of her face. "My skin's getting dry already. Jeez, I forgot to bring my moistener."

"I wish I don't have to go there again…" the timid swordswoman said and held her katana close to her chest. "It's so quiet and lonely…"

"You have very handsome mecha pilots onboard, Admiral," another Ensemble said and pointed to Ivan. "I like the Gouf one. Who is he, again? Lucky 13? That sounds very sexy to me."

"Kazami, will you quit having dirty thoughts?" Izayoi reminded.

"But he said he likes big guns, didn't he?" Kazami retorted.

"Oh, Ibis is Love!" both Shiro and Kuro meowed. "Be a good girl and don't misbehave in front of love!"

"Stop it you two!!" the helpless Ibis begged. "Ivan! Do something! These people keep teasing me!"

Ivan laughed. "Can't do anything about that, Ibis, so sorry," he said.

"_Hey! You aren't even helping!" Ibis cried. "You're the same as them!"_


End file.
